Chaos (The Rewritten One)
by My Stuff
Summary: Three months before the GMG, Laxus and the Raijinshuu come across an Exceed by the name of Seph who has a terrifying past that she refuses to share. They take her in and upon meeting their Guild, she starts to open up. They can only hope that she'll let them help her with what's been haunting her, especially some certain someones. {Triggering/Slightly Mature} {Third Genre: Romance}
1. Seph

**A/N:  
If you came from the Chaos story before this one: Welcome back! I hope that you're ready to take a longer, probably better, journey with our girl!  
If you're new: Yo, welcome to Chaos! I'm glad that you've decided to join me and others on this journey! I hope it turns out to be good!**

 **This story will be uploaded with one chapter every week, every Saturday, until it ends.. which probably won't be for awhile, to be honest. Maybe I'll move this into a second book, but this won't end for a long time.**

 **Either way, please enjoy the first chapter of Chaos.**

* * *

It was a warm, dry spring evening in the month of April, the year of x791. The missing members of the Fairy Tail Guild had returned rather recently from seven long years trapped on Tenroujima Island, and trapped in time itself. They had returned in the nick of time, it would seem, as they were thrown into the action of saving the world from falling insane. Something to do with an Infinity clock and a book, they couldn't go into detail because they had promised not to.

However, now they were all getting ready to spend the next three months training for an event by the name of "the Grand Magic Games". They were all splitting into groups, the previously famous Guild, and a certain team by the name of the Raijinshuu were heading into the forest near a city not too far from Magnolia.

They were heading straight into a new chapter of their lives.

It was the first night in camp and they were just setting up for their next three months of training, which consisted of much arguing and loud chatting between the members aside from their leader, Laxus Dreyar, who was merely making a fire the best he could out of wood he had found amongst the trees.

Meanwhile, a small, light gray and white figure dashed through the previously silent forest. It was now full of the sound of the figure's panting and small screams every time a root became a tripping hazard. Those screams were only audible to her, however, and she was only tripping because of her exhaustion and lack of sight due to the cracks in her glasses. She saw a light and she believed that it might be the end to everything she had gone through. Everything could just stop… except it wasn't that, as she figured out when she reached the end of the tree cover, tumbling out of the bushes.

She was merely a small, light gray Exceed with forest green eyes, slowly pushing herself up to meet the now silent group of Mages in front of her. They looked shocked. They looked like people she didn't want to mess with... but she couldn't move. She could only sit there in her white long-sleeved dress that was stained with blood as much as her fur was, tears welling up in her eyes that were perceiving fairly blurry vision due to the loss of her glasses.

Her breath seemed to fade and her vision blurred even further, everything becoming nothing for her as she fell straight onto the ground, all movement ceasing.

* * *

Laxus would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried about the Exceed that had shown up a couple of days ago. She had passed out and stayed asleep since, even when Freed had fixed up her injuries and whenever the Raijinshuu would argue. It was an impressive feat, really, as the three knuckleheads were super goddamn loud sometimes.

Like right now, when they were trying to be nice and work together to sew an outfit for the small Exceed... sorry, work together? Oh, no, they were competing to see who could sew the best and had pulled Laxus into it by making him the judge. He didn't really mind since he was so worried and wanted the best for the small cat-like being, but he was also getting a little tired of their somehow constant arguing.

"TA-DA!" Evergreen yelled out, obviously down with her sewing. "Sewing is merely a simple task for a fairy such as me!"

Laxus turned to see what she had sewn only to let out a slight snicker from behind his hand. It was just a pastel pink jumper and a pair of leggings that looked a little short even for the small Exceed.

"Well, I'd say "bravo", but that bravo is not for you. It's for me!" Freed chuckled smugly, holding up what he had sewn. A little pair of blue overalls, with shorts instead of pants... it was cute. He seemed to be working on something else as well, but Laxus didn't bother to question it because he knew Freed would say. "I'm also working on a pair of socks and a pair of cute little boots." Yep, there it was.

"… Oh." Bickslow got out, holding up a tiny black jacket. It was thin, but it was very convenient. "I didn't think it through, honestly."

"… Just put everything together." Laxus advised with a shrug, in which the three of them took a moment to think before clapping their hands in agreement.

Freed was left alone to finish up his work and Evergreen decided to fix the small one's glasses, since she would need them to see properly, and "girl things" that she would need. Of course, that led to clueless men. Things were fine and once the Exceed woke up, they could get to training even if it would have to be in pairs or individually. They just wanted to make sure that she was okay. They wanted to know what had happened and what her name was... and if she wanted to stay with them. It took a long talk, but between Laxus' worrying and Evergreen's complaining about being the only girl, they decided that perhaps Laxus could have an Exceed partner like the other Dragon Slayers. He didn't really care about that, but he agreed due to the strange feeling he got.

He just... felt like this Exceed was in trouble and needed a place to call home. If he could provide a home, who was he to turn her away. It was all up to her, of course.

* * *

There was one small breath that was deeper than the rest and then suddenly, the small Exceed had started coughing like she had choked on something or she was about to hack up a lung. She _**was**_ in pretty bad shape and it nearly scared the living hell out of the four mages, especially when the Exceed shot up into a sitting position and held a paw to her chest. Almost immediately, they had rushed over and being the doctor of the group, Freed instructed her to take as many deep breaths as she could between coughs. Surprisingly, she listened to him and she got through her coughing fit with deep breaths left to spare

However, the moment Freed tried to pat her back; she flinched and moved away even though it caused her pain. She held her paws up to protect her face and her head, curling in on herself as she let out a whimper.

"Pl-Please don't hurt me..!" She managed to get out although they all nearly winced at how sore her throat sounded.

She hadn't had anything to eat or drink for almost a week, after all, which made Laxus think of how to gain her trust. He grabbed a water bottle, opening it, and very slowly held it out to her, in which she took a moment to register that he was holding something for her. She took another moment to lower her paws a bit and lock gazes with him to find out if he was actually trying to help her or not. When she figured out that he was indeed trying to help her, she immediately, yet still cautiously, took the water bottle from him.

Evergreen then realized that she probably couldn't see very well.

"Oh! Um..." She dug through her jacket pockets for a moment before holding out the glasses to the small Exceed. "Good sight is important."

The Exceed paused for a moment before carefully taking her glasses, making sure not to make any physical contact. They weren't surprised that she had downed an entire bottle of water or that she was scared of being touched, not very much anyways.

Laxus grabbed the pair of clothes the Raijinshuu had sewn for the small Exceed and carefully put them down in front of her, in which she pulled her knees up to her chest and put her paws on top of them. She still looked very unsure about the strangers—oh, that was it.

"… My name is Laxus. I'm a Fairy Tail Mage and this is my team, the Raijinshuu, consisting of Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen." Laxus introduced in a soft voice so she wouldn't get more scared. "It's okay to be scared, but we're just trying to help you."

A moment paused with Laxus and the small Exceed staring at each other before she looked down at her paws, still needing a little more convincing.

"… Y-… You're not... gonna take me back..?" She asked softly, her tone laced in confusion and disbelief.

"Back where?" Laxus questioned, although that made her freeze up a bit before she shrugged her little shoulders in a "well, that answers my question" kind of way. Laxus motioned to Freed and the others and they got up to go do their own things, leaving Laxus to talk to the small Exceed. "Can you stand?" The Exceed gave a small nod. ".. Are you going to run?"

"… No… I wouldn't make it very far..." The Exceed mumbled in reply, in which Laxus gave her a small nod of understanding.

"You should get changed. You can use the closest tent and then you can come over to sit by the fire with us." Laxus told her, in which she paused again before nodding, cautiously grabbing the pile of clothing before standing up with a bit of a stumble. She limped a bit, but she managed to make it to the closest tent and that was good enough for Laxus, so he stood up and made his way over to the fire.

They waited there for a moment, taking interest in the dinner that Freed was making before little footsteps caught their attention, the small Exceed sitting on the ground between Laxus and Evergreen with her head halfway down. The outfit looked cute on her and fit perfectly, the leggings having meant to be made in a cropped way, and it gave everyone a good sense of relief. Freed started pouring the soupy dinner into different bowls for everyone before turning to Seph with his kindest smile.

"Would you like some?" He asked, in which she immediately nodded without even thinking first.

He gladly made her a bowl and handed it to her with the smallest spoon they had. She paused for a moment, holding the spoon and staring at the substance, before cautiously lifting a spoonful into her mouth. She chewed on a boiled carrot for a moment before swallowing, the sweet taste finally settling on her tongue and making her face light up. She immediately scooped another spoonful into her mouth and it made Freed swell with pride. She then paused before suddenly talking.

"H-How long have I been asleep..?" She asked softly before spitting out more questions. "Where are we? Wh-Why are you being so nice to me? H-How am I even still alive—"

"Whoa, slow down, one question at a time." Evergreen sighed, in which the Exceed lowered her head with what seemed to be shame.

"You've been asleep for about a week." Laxus replied, which brought the Exceed's head back up. "We're in a forest by a city not too far from the one our Guild is in... or near, at least. We're being nice because you seem to have had it rough and we want to make sure you're okay, and Freed patched you up almost immediately after you collapsed."

Everyone paused and the Exceed seemed to be trying to register everything Laxus had told her, giving a very tiny nod. Things were silent for a couple of minutes before Laxus started speaking again, deciding to ask the questions this time.

"What's your name?" He asked, which made her freeze up a bit. It was only for a moment, though.

"… Seph… Y-You can call me Seph…" She replied softly, her cheeks going a light pink as if she had been waiting to say that. She looked a little tense, like she wasn't supposed to say it, but they didn't care how she said it. It was her name, not theirs.

"Where did you come from?" Laxus continued, in which Seph curled in on herself and shook her head a little bit, not ready to talk about it. They all respected that, so Laxus moved on. "How old are you, do you know?"

"I-I, um… I think th-that I'm thirteen..." Seph replied, her voice still soft and almost shaking. Laxus almost wanted to leave things there, but he wanted to know a little more.

"You're an Exceed, right? Have you ever met another Exceed before?" Laxus asked, but that seemed to be the worst question he could ask because Seph tensed up an awful lot and even shook a bit. She still managed to nod her head, though, which they appreciated, but Laxus felt bad for bringing back obvious bad memories. "Bad" seemed to be an understatement.

"… Y-You… said that you c-came from a Guild called F-Fairy Tail?" Seph asked, trying to calm herself down from how tense she had gotten. They all nodded, in which she continued. "… Wh-What kind of G-Guild is it…?"

"Oh, it's a legal Guild. We're not like any other Guild, though, we're kind of like... one, big, unrelated family with a lot of idiots running around." Laxus explained, in which Freed let out a cough despite Evergreen and Bickslow starting to snicker. Seph seemed very relieved to hear that. "Why, bad run-ins with Dark Guilds?"

".. Like you wouldn't even believe..." Seph mumbled softly, which made the four of them frown before Freed noticed that Seph's bowl was empty.

"Would you like seconds?" He asked to change the subject, in which her face lit up almost instantly. Freed's cooking could cheer anyone up.

"C-Can I..?" She asked, her tone laced with disbelief. Had she been fed at all where she came from? Freed nodded and held out a hand for her bowl, which she passed over quickly and politely.

* * *

Laxus couldn't sleep right and he didn't know why at first, but he soon figured it out. It was because Seph had been clinging to him and he hadn't been aware. The small Exceed didn't like physical contact, after all, so he was confused as to why she was clinging to him like a lifeline.

Until she let out a whimper, clinging to him even more, making him understand it right then and there. She was having a nightmare and he was the closest thing for her to grab onto. He let out a soft sigh and protectively draped an arm over her, leaning his head back into his pillow again.

This time, he was able to fall asleep.


	2. The Grand Magic Games

Three months of training and three months for Laxus and the Raijinshuu to get closer to the Exceed that had appeared in their lives so suddenly. Over time, she came to show them that she was strong even with her fragile mind and body. She knew how to tie helpful knots and her magic was peculiar from what they had seen, very powerful from what they could sense. Despite knowing so much about all kinds of different weapons and ways to fight, she was a gentle soul, able to heal wounds much like Wendy could, and finding comfort in small conversations no matter whom with.

She was still afraid to be touched, but they could respect her wishes. The only person she really let touch her had been Laxus, but normally it would either be brief or while she was asleep to help keep the nightmares away. They wondered what the nightmares were about, but they didn't dare ask. The only things they asked were preferences or tips, and she honestly really helped them with their training. They enjoyed her presence and she enjoyed theirs, smiling a lot more towards the end of the three months than she had at the beginning.

There were times when she would need to take moments to herself or when she would start crying out of nowhere, but they never minded it. There were worse times, after all, when she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying without being able to be helped. Laxus could often help her, but there were times where he **had** to sit by because comforting her would only make it worse. The worst times weren't when she would yell out jumbled messes, the worst times were when she would make sense and yell out names that everyone had to pretend they didn't remember the next morning. The worst times were when she begged not to be hurt, not to be killed, and the next morning she would end up just as exhausted as she was the night before.

They focused on the good things, though, like right now. They were returning to the Guild with Seph close by, not wanting to be left alone and having taken a liking to the team. She was obviously very anxious, but they weren't really sure what else to do besides talk about their Guildmates and the upcoming event they would be participating in. It helped her feel better, they could tell, especially when they were able to give her information on the other Exceeds in the Guild. No matter the experience she had before, she wouldn't have to go through it again on their watch.

Even so, it was a little bit of trouble to have her clinging to Laxus' leg upon entering the Guild hall. Even with a lack of people, she still looked far too anxious to socialize with anyone. However, because she was already clinging to him, Laxus knelt down and cautiously lifted Seph into his arms to help keep her calm. They took notice of how Mira was already washing dishes again and how the Master seemed to be straight on them at the time of their arrival.

"Oh, welcome back." Makarov greeted them, in which Seph ended up clinging to Laxus' shirt. She was really afraid of strangers, wasn't she? "… I'd like to say that you've made it just on time, but I believe that there's something else we must address first."

"This is Seph. She's my partner." Laxus stated dryly, trying to keep the small Exceed from bursting into tears at the attention that had been brought to them. Mirajane looked troubled for a moment and then went back to smiling kindly turning off the tap water and coming around the bar counter.

"There's no need to be apprehensive." Makarov sighed, getting up from his seat. "She'll be joining the Guild, then?" Laxus gave a nod and Mirajane was about to go into the back to grab the mark stamp, but he quickly stopped her.

"Mira, she's really shy. Could you take her back with you for it?" Laxus asked as nicely as he could manage, just wanting Seph to be comfortable. It was obvious that his Grandfather wanted to talk to him about her anyways. Mira took a look between the pair of relatives and then at Seph before giving a nod. "She doesn't like to be touched, so… Be careful."

He made sure to say it before Mira reached out her arms to take the small Exceed from him and then knelt down to put Seph on the ground. She let out a small sound and he mumbled something to her that no one else could hear, relaxing her enough to follow Mira into the back. Once Laxus stood back up, the conversation started.

"Her name is Seph." Makarov stated, in which Laxus nodded and gave an affirmative sound. "Where does she come from?"

"We're not too sure." Freed responded to give Laxus a moment to lean against the wall and compose himself. "We **are** fairly sure that she's one of the hundred Exceed eggs that were sent here from Extalia years ago, though, because she's thirteen from what she knows. Her magic is beyond extraordinary from what we can sense and she may look fragile, but—"

"Could she knock Laxus on his ass?" Gajeel asked, leaning against a staircase post with a chuckle. Freed merely continued on seriously, answering his question.

"Yes… and without much effort, I'm sure." Freed sighed at the sheer stupidity that spread across Gajeel's face from hearing that. "She's also very intelligent. She can fight, cook, and tie different knots… She can tell by a person's stature how a weapon would work with them, and she can name different types of knots and weapons off of the top of her head. It's like she's lived many years just being supplied information, whether from books or people…"

"She's afraid of people." Laxus reminded Freed before he could continue theorizing. "It's not very hard to earn her trust, but she won't let anyone touch her. It's rare that anyone except me can even get close to her without her breaking down and begging for her life. She was scared when she heard we were from a Guild and yet so relieved to hear what we were like, that we weren't a Dark Guild. She's scared of other Exceeds." He took a breath, running a hand through his hair and checking to see if Mira and Seph were coming back. No sign of them yet. "When we say that she knows how to fight, it's not just her own abilities. It's that she knows how to teach people, she helped us train during the three months. She can heal like Wendy."

"She showed up all injured and exhausted, like she had been running from something. She was terrified and she collapsed on sight, spending about a week just resting and recovering." Freed continued before Laxus could get angry at a source they didn't even know of properly. "She has nightmares and we have some names, but… it's not so helpful. We're unsure of what to do except give her a proper home with friends and resources."

"We may be rambunctious, but I'm sure that everyone will keep their distance." Lily said from a step near the Master, Gajeel looking like he had finally clued into how serious this was as he exchanged a look with Juvia. The water Mage looked worried.

"They better. She tends to need time to herself sometimes, she'll zone out without warning. She might break down into tears for no reason, so I don't want to have to witness her breaking down into tears with a reason." Laxus explained, sounding a little threatening but also worried for Seph's well-being.

Everyone did tend to fight a lot and go off their rocker more than appreciated, so they understood his worrying. Laxus wasn't one who seemed to be kind, but it was obvious that he cared for Seph and the Raijinshuu. Somewhere down the line, he cared for the Guild as well; they all knew it even if they wouldn't show that they did. Laxus then raised his hand, signalling that Seph and Mira were coming back, and Makarov merely took a moment before giving a nod just as everyone went back to what they were doing. Laxus knelt down to greet Seph, who was talking softly and excitedly about something, most likely her mark, before he stood back up and allowed her to hold onto the fabric of his pants just to feel comforted.

They all felt awful because she had such a sweet smile, even if it only lasted for a little bit just before the Master called the only members that were really there over to talk to him. The Raijinshuu were just going to put away some Guild-borrowed stuff in the storage. Elfman and Lisanna were out in the town, according to Mira. Lily and Seph were allowed to stay because they were Gajeel and Laxus' partners, which Seph seemed to greatly appreciate.

"I want the four of you to be a team in the **Grand Magic Games**. I'm going to set up another team, Team A, but you're going to be Team B. If we take people by surprise, then they can't doubt our win for long." Makarov suddenly said, taking the four of them by surprise. Gajeel was the first to speak up.

"Gimme a break!" He yelled, in which Seph flinched under his volume. Laxus didn't even need to send a glare over Gajeel's way, Lily was already on it. Gajeel's voice lowered considerably, but only to a point where he would still be heard and able to make his point. "Who's gonna be part of that spectacle!?"

"I don't mind being in it." Laxus admitted with a shrug before adding more. "I just don't like being on "Team B"." Makarov seemed to be ready for this outcome, as he had a straight answer to it right away.

"Then let's do this." He offered, or more like decided, bringing up a deal with them. "The team that wins gets to do what they want with the other team for a whole day." Seph let out a sound equivalent to a snort that was trying to be hidden by the person making it, which made Laxus smile a bit. She was getting the full package of what Fairy Tail was like without all of the members even being present.

"Put another way, it's a "punishment game" for the losing team." Lily seemed to be confirming, in which Makarov gave a firm nod. Everyone certainly seemed interested now, already thinking of who from the other team they would call dibs on.

Seph liked how much of a family they already seemed to be, although she was still unsure. Anxiety did that to people. Bad experiences did that to people. It did it to her, even when this Guild looked and sounded so kind…

* * *

Seph knew that they called Crocus the blooming capital of the kingdom of Fiore. She read a lot of books, even when she thought she wouldn't end up interested in them, and had read a huge book focusing on the kingdom of Fiore. It was ancient, but it was still a good read… and this was a good thing to do. After so many years of… well… _**things**_ … it was good to have friends and to travel for the first time in a long time. It was the first time she had travelled and had a good time, constantly pointing out things to the group from sitting upon Laxus' shoulders. She wasn't a social butterfly, she really wasn't, but when she got excited about things, she couldn't help but share her knowledge of it with others.

It had often got her in trouble, but now she had a whole group of people who would listen to her whether they were interested or not.

The **Grand Magic Games** was an event held every year in Crocus, but she didn't know too much about it. She only knew what she had heard and she didn't listen too closely because then she would zone out and end back up in trouble. Getting in trouble was a bad thing in multiple different ways. Crocus was always full of wizards and spectators from all over Fiore at this time of year and although it made Seph's anxiety flare, it also made her very excited to see what kinds of Mage's would show up. She could see the king of Fiore's castle when they were getting closer to the city and once they got into the city of Crocus, she could see it up close with her child-like wonder.

She loved history, mostly because all the books she read tended to have that same thing in common. Old, ancient books that hadn't been touched for years, covered in dust with some pages stuck together… until she got to read them. That was the best thing from where she came from.

Crocus was a gigantic city with things to do and people to see no matter where you went. That was how it was all the way to their inn, nearly halfway across the city, and by the time they had arrived, Gajeel was already eating something he had picked up along the way while Laxus constantly fiddled with the flower crown Seph had managed to get him to wear. This felt great, just doing normal things with friendly people, and she found herself trusting them and becoming more open with them even if she did become a little uncomfortable upon finding out that they would be sharing one big room together.

It didn't matter. She trusted Laxus enough to know that he would protect her if anything went wrong, even though she was quite sure that nothing would. She just… didn't want to wake up screaming and crying and end up bothering anyone, but it seemed like they would have to deal with it if it happened. With the beds lined up all in one room near the balcony… Yah, there was no way they would be able to sleep through her screaming. Not with how alert they seemed to be, with Gajeel and Laxus being Dragon Slayers and Lily being an Exceed.

Speaking of Lily, Seph was sure that he was a soldier at some point. She hadn't worked up the courage to talk to him about anything at all or to even introduce herself properly, but… She would get there. She just needed time to ground herself and come to terms with the fact that he wasn't like the other one. No Exceed in Fairy Tail sounded like the other one. She just needed time to drill that into her head, and then she could talk to him and ask him if he was a soldier at some point. He was alert, always ready, yet so calm and able to enjoy himself. She… liked how he worked that way and wished that she could be like that, too.

She must've zoned out after all of the activities and exploring the hotel room a bit because the next thing she knew, she was being snapped out of her thoughts by the city's bells ringing to indicate that midnight had arrived. The rule book had said that they all needed to be here by midnight, after all, so… Something was going to happen, right?

" _Everyone in the guilds who have gathered together for the_ _ **Grand Magic Games**_ …"

Seph jumped at the loud voice, turning towards the balcony alongside the others. Doing all this at midnight? Wasn't it disruptive to the actual residents that lived in the city?

" _Good morning!_ "

She wasn't expecting such a calm, polite greeting, but hey, she wasn't going to complain. There was worse that could've happened, she was sure of that. She followed behind very cautiously as everyone retreated to the balcony to see what was going on. It was just a projection of someone pumpkin-like, but Seph really wasn't expecting it.

" _Beginning now, we're going to take the 113 participating teams and have an elimination round to pare them down to eight!_ " The pumpkin man explained, but Seph was a little confused. There weren't that many guilds in Fiore were there? Well… She had been reading ancient books for years. " _Every year, the number of participating guilds increases and it was pointed out that the events were getting stale. This year, there will be only eight teams competing in the official games._ " Well, that made sense, she supposed… " _The elimination rules are simple!_ "

God, Seph felt sick when the hotel started rumbling and shooting up into the sky. Even with the wall as support, she slipped down onto her knees right before it stopped. At least she wasn't the only one who fell over from being taken off-guard.

" _All of you are going to race each other. The goal is the Games arena, Domus Flau. The first eight teams to arrive there will go on._ " The pumpkin man explained just as paths started forming in front of the inns. " _You're free to use your magic. There are no restrictions. But remember; only the first eight teams to get to the goal will survive this round. However, all five members must arrive together or it doesn't count!_ "

Seph didn't know what to think of the team's fifth member, but since the others seemed to trust him, she was fine with him being around. He was mysterious, suspicious even, but she could feel his magic power easily, so she didn't really… mind his presence.

" _And one more thing! We take no responsibility for any lives lost in the labyrinth_."

Oh, God, that didn't sound pleasant. The labyrinth in the sky… also didn't look pleasant. Seph felt nauseous just looking at it and she really hoped that the teams would come out okay in the end, whether they made it into one of the eight spots or not. Without missing a beat, the team took no longer than a second to grab what they would need before setting off. Laxus took a little longer, however, just to reassure Seph that things would be okay and to order Lily to keep an eye on his partner. He didn't stay for much longer than that… which left Seph and Lily in an awkward silence.

She didn't know if she was ready to socialize with Lily, but it looked like she would have to.

"… Well, good morning." Lily greeted with a sigh, looking conflicted about being left behind by his partner. Seph paused for a moment, tensing a bit, before nodding a bit.

He seemed to accept her nod as a greeting back because he went silent again, looking away from her, and she gave herself a moment to think. She must've zoned out again because the next thing she knew, she was picking up Lily's magic levels past all of the magic levels that were clashing in the Sky Labyrinth up above. It was a magic that she was born with, or even just some kind of power because it didn't take up her magic power… Whenever she focused on something, she would always end up focusing on the people around her, their magic levels and… just… _**them**_ …

"So, um…" Lily spoke up again, snapping her out of her thoughts for the second time since midnight. "… Want to sit around and wait?" She wanted to smile, but she couldn't find a way to do so, so she merely nodded again. She followed Lily back into the hotel room, taking a seat on Laxus' bed and after a moment, Lily took a seat on the bed as well. Not too close and not too far, which she appreciated greatly. "So, your name is Seph, right?"

"… Yah…" She replied softly after a moment, knowing that this was inevitable now that they were stuck together in this room. She tried not to think about it too much, as it wouldn't turn out good if she did…

"I know you don't like people touching you, so I'm not going to, if that's what you're afraid of." Lily told her, making her face heat up because that was exactly what she was worried about. The last time an Exceed had touched her… She didn't want to even think about it.

"I… I-I'm just afraid… Th-That they'll hurt me…" Seph admitted, trying not to make eye contact. She tended to cry when making eye contact with people. Lily gave her a shrug.

"No one in Fairy Tail is going to hurt you. It's okay to be afraid, but… just know that you can trust us, okay?" Lily asked, his voice softer than usual. Seph paused and then nodded before things went silent. It stayed liked that for a couple of minutes before Seph took a deep breath and decided to move closer, starting up the conversation again. She felt like… Lily could be a good friend, at the least.

"Um… I-I've taken notice o-of s-some things and I wanted t-to ask…" She started out, gathering his attention back to her. "W-Were you a soldier at some p-point? Y-You kind of… a-act like it, i-if that makes sense…"

"It makes sense." Lily reassured her with a smile, seeming happy to be able to have a conversation with her. He seemed happy that she was getting more comfortable. "Before joining Fairy Tail, I worked for the kingdom of Edolas as the Magic Militia's First Division Commander of the Royal Army." Seph paused, trying to process that. It took a moment before she nodded again.

"… Gosh… Wh-Why are you apart of Fairy Tail wh-when you could p-possibly be working for th-this world's kingdom?" Seph asked, just curious. She didn't really expect an honest answer, but she got one.

"I wanted to join the Guild that housed someone important to me for many years. It was a good choice, honestly, it's a really fun Guild… almost like a family." Lily explained in reply, in which Seph nodded once again. She had heard that a lot, about Fairy Tail being like a family. "Since we're in conversation, your name… Is Seph short for something?"

Seph tensed a bit, but… surprisingly, she had just lost herself in the conversation. She felt comfortable with talking about this stuff and with sharing some things.

"Y-Yah, it is. I h-have a first name, middle name, and a last name, but I just… I-It's been used too much, you know? Seph is just… **so simple**. It's nice and I want to use it…" She explained, not stuttering as much as before. She was surprising herself with this. When did she start trusting people so easily, especially an Exceed? Lily nodded, though, seeming to understand.

"I get it. It's kinda the same for me." He told her, which made her more relaxed. Was she really just afraid that he would think she was weird? "You're thirteen, right?"

"Yah, I am, b-but my birthday is December 7th, so…" Seph trailed off, gaining another nod from Lily. She was comfortable with smiling now, even if it was just a little bit. Lily paused for a moment, thinking about something, before continuing on with his questions.

"… Can I ask where you came from or is that not something you want to tell yet?" He asked, not minding as Seph paused to think. She looked a little tense and he felt bad, honestly not expecting her to tell him anything… but she was going to tell him a little bit.

"I-I, um… I lived i-in a village at s-some p-point…" Seph started off softly, curling in on herself a bit. "Th-Then I… e-ended u-up in a r-really b-bad place… a-a bad G-Guild with b-bad Mages, H-Humans and E-Exceeds alike…" She wasn't going into detail, but the fact that she was telling him anything at all was certainly something. "I… w-went through… s-some bad e-experiences th-there th-that I really d-don't want t-to talk a-about yet…"

"It's fine, you don't…" Lily trailed off, having quickly butted in upon realizing that Seph was close to crying. He really didn't want her to push it… "You don't have to say anymore, I… get it. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry." Seph looked genuinely confused, maybe shocked, when he apologized and he got more worried when she actually started crying. Dammit, Laxus was going to murder him! "I-I'm sorry, I—"

Lily wasn't expecting a hug, especially from Seph of all people. He could feel that she was tense from it, but… she needed comfort and she trusted him with being able to do that. He didn't know whether to feel bad or honoured or worried, but he couldn't just betray her trust by pushing her away. He… didn't really _**want**_ to push away. He wrapped his arms carefully around her small, fragile body and squeezed gently, holding her head to his chest as she sobbed. He really didn't know what to think of her, but he also knew that she didn't know what to think of him, so it was okay. They would figure it out eventually.

But… that would be afterwards. After Seph stopped crying and fell asleep, and after Lily lied down with her so that she would stay comfortable and feel protected, falling asleep himself. It had been a long day, after all, and things were just getting started.


	3. The GMG: Day One

Despite the cold atmosphere, Seph found herself being kept warm as soon as she woke up. She was curled into a ball, under the covers as much as she possibly could be, and she kept her eyes closed in the hopes of falling straight back asleep. It took a moment for her to wake up fully, in which she sighed upon realizing that she was indeed **not** going to fall back asleep anytime soon, and then she heard the voices of the others around her. They were probably already getting up and ready for the **Grand Magic Games** , but they were keeping quiet as if not to wake her up…

Wait, had she really been able to spend a full night asleep?

Upon opening her eyes, she found black fur butchering her sight and just past that, Gajeel sitting on a chair ready to go, but still looking quite tired. She couldn't blame him with how early it was and judging by the outside lighting, it was somewhere around 6:30am. She took a moment to move her head and rub at her eyes, everyone going quiet from probably thinking that they had woke her up, and that was when she realized that she had fallen asleep attached to Lily. When she slept attached to something, it was nearly impossible to take it away from her and she sat up quickly, her cheeks going straight fuchsia as she started stuttering out an apology. It wasn't very audible and Lily didn't seem to care, just seeming more confused of why she had gotten up so quickly.

"It's fine, really." He told her, his voice still soft from how quiet they had all been as to not wake her up. Laxus was sitting on the edge of the bed, also ready to go. The only person who wasn't ready to go was Mira, but she just had to do her hair, honestly.

"… S-Sorry, were you waiting for me…?" She asked softly, mostly aiming the question towards Laxus. He shook his head in response.

"No, not really, the games don't start until around 10am. They open the doors for people at 9:30 and the competing teams have to be there at 8:30, just to be accounted for." Laxus explained to her, in which she took a moment to process that and then nodded her head a bit. "And we also didn't want to wake you." She frowned a bit, giving him a look, and he merely chuckled.

"… So, you made it into one of the eight spots…?" She asked, rubbing at her eyes a little more as Lily sat up and stretched at her side.

"Yah, we got second place, actually." Laxus responded, in which her face lit up. Wow… They really knew what they were doing, didn't they? "I heard from the old man that Team A got into eighth place, those idiots…"

"It's better for us, is it not?" Mira asked, checking her hair in the mirror before sitting down. She always wore a pleasant smile. Seph never saw her with anything else on her face, not just yet. She did have a point, though, honestly. As long as they got into the games, though, didn't that mean something good?

"I suppose you're right." Laxus got out with a grin, which made Seph smile a bit. All these members of Fairy Tail had seemed a little terrifying at first, but they really ended up being goofy in the end. "Speaking of competitors, we're meeting Jellal there, correct?" Was that the name of their fifth member…?

"Yes, I believe that's what he said. He's going to go scope out the city first and then head over there." Mira replied, in which Seph rubbed at her head. She didn't understand it, but she figured that maybe it just didn't matter all too much. She would figure it out at some point or not at all, and either way, she'd still probably end up in the same place. Hopefully, it was away from where she came from…

"… I-If it's a big event, then h-how many people are g-going to be there…?" She asked, already calculating a big amount of competitors, their Guilds, and on-lookers. Lord that was a lot of people…

"Lots of people will be there, it's one of the biggest events in Fiore, but Fairy Tail will have its own stand apart from everyone since we're competing in the games." Laxus explained, gently patting her head to try and help calm her anxiety. It actually helped more than she thought it would. "The Raijinshuu and Lily will be up there along with the old man, so you'll have people that you know around." She paused for a moment before nodding.

"… And… D-Dark Guilds aren't allowed to participate…?" She asked softly, in which he gave a firm nod. That put a lot of ease on her mind, shown by her shoulders dropping as she relaxed from seeing his reply. She was just trying to confirm some things that she had heard awhile ago, but never really got around to asking last night because of the surprise elimination round.

"Oh, right! I got into contact with Lisanna and she said that Wendy won't be participating until later on in the games if she gets better, and Carla won't be well enough to come and watch right away." Mira told all of them, although Seph had no idea who Wendy and Carla were. What had happened? "They're still not too sure of what happened, but Porlyusica is here and she says that it's Magic Deficiency Disease."

"How the hell did that happen?" Gajeel asked with a growl, crossing his arms over his chest. Mira gave him a shake of her head to tell him that no one knew just yet and he leaned back in his seat.

This got off to a great start, apparently…

* * *

Seph could feel her anxiety going off the charts even when she wasn't close to people that she didn't know. There was barely any space left in the arena, tons of people sitting and standing and cheering in roars of excitement, and then there were people in the Fairy Tail Guild staring at her from the moment she showed up. They didn't know who she was or why she knew Lily, the Raijinshuu and the Master, they just… knew she was there. Makarov had explained to them that her name was Seph and she was a part of the Guild now, but they looked uncomfortable and confused upon hearing that she was part of the Raijinshuu and, nonetheless, Laxus' partner.

The only person who had welcomed her right away had been the only other Exceed that she could spot, although Carla was apparently an Exceed as well, going by the name Happy. He had introduced himself right away and she forced herself to introduce herself back even if he already knew her name, trying to stay as calm and relaxed as she possibly could. The more people she knew, the more calm she would feel even if she didn't quite trust them just yet. She found herself sitting between Happy and Lily, near Makarov and with the Raijinshuu standing behind them to make her feel more protected.

It helped, but she really wished that everyone would stop staring… and having this awkward silence…

The event was definitely huge with all the people watching from the stands and the fact that they had set up an emcee and everything. Then there was the sponsor and the fact that they had so many Guilds that wanted to participate… maybe it was that a bunch of Guilds put in multiple teams like they had? That was probably it… but only they had gotten two teams in with the eight participating ones and Seph actually liked the sound of that. She had been told nearly everything about the Guild by Laxus and the Raijinshuu over their three months together and although she could barely remember most of it off of the top of her head, it came up at the appropriate times. She liked how her brain worked like that, although it was a little troublesome at times…

The moment the teams started getting introduced, however, she felt her anxiety rising again with all of the booing and cheering. Everyone in their stand had erupted in cheers, after all, and it was quite loud on her ears. What wasn't loud on her ears, though, was the soft cheering from a girl to her right that was barefoot, yet wearing a smile. She seemed to have shocked everyone, but Seph couldn't feel shocked as much as she was confused due to not knowing what was going on. She figured that this would keep happening, honestly…

"That's Master Mavis, the first Master of Fairy Tail." Lily explained to her softly, looking like he was in a slight state of shock as well. Oh… Wait, what? "She's a ghost from Tenroujima… maybe…?"

"… O-Oh…" Seph mumbled, unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She had heard the mentioning of only people with the Guild's insignia being able to see the First Master…

Moving on with the teams… a Guild by the name of Quatro Cerberus came in seventh place, being called the Hounds of Hell, with a Guild by the name of Mermaid Heel came in sixth place, being introduced as an all-female Guild and the dancing girls of the great deep. Then there was a Guild by the name of Blue Pegasus in fifth place, the one that the special guest Jenny Realight came from that was explained as the bright blue wings in pitch dark, and a Guild named Lamia scale in fourth place. Seph knew that Lamia was the Goddess of love and war, the holy destroyer… and didn't she eat children? Maybe that was her Mother, Seph couldn't remember right now.

All the Guilds seemed to be getting along, whether a Guild was off to the side from the others and talking with their own or one Guild was conversing with another. Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Team A of Fairy Tail seemed to be getting along quite well and it made Seph smile… most Guilds usually seemed to not get along from her experience.

Next up, finishing in third place for the elimination round was a Guild that Seph could feel a familiar atmosphere coming off of the members. The arena had gone silent and the Master started boiling with rage, as did most of the other members if they weren't concerned for the Master's well-being. It was their first appearance of the Guild, being described as the midnight mobile force, and by an unsettlingly familiar name: **Raven Tail**.

It was a Dark Guild, though, wasn't it? Dark Guilds weren't allowed to participate! They didn't branch off of one of the bigger three Dark Guilds either, not like… Oh God, if they saw her, would Ivan…? She couldn't say anything, though, she couldn't or everyone would get suspicious. She'd have to explain and then they'd hate her, and she couldn't handle that right now. Oh God, what could she do besides just sit there and look pathetic…?

"You're lettin' a Guild like that participate in the **Grand Magic Games**!?" Makarov yelled in a questioning tone, which made Seph flinch. He was being too loud… and Lily had grabbed her hand, helping her sit down so she could relax a little bit. Why was he being so nice to her…? He barely knew her…

"According to the official record, Raven Tail has been around for more than seven years, but they've only recently been recognized as a legitimate Guild." Chapati Rola, the emcee for the games, explained for everyone who was listening and curious. They had been **recognized as a** _ **legitimate Guild**_ …? That would explain a couple of things, but… Dear God, Seph felt like throwing up right then and there. "Alright, there are still two more teams that made it through the elimination round!" Well, that was a good way to get everyone back into the groove of things…

Lily squeezed her hand gently, putting a comforting hand on her back with a small smile.

"Here comes us again." He told her as softly as he could manage so no one else would hear. It was the Master's secret, after all, and they didn't want to blow it just before it was revealed on its own. She paused before giving him a soft smile back and nodding, allowing him to help her stand back up. She was okay now… She was free, a member of Fairy Tail, and she wasn't going back.

Because coming in second place was another one of their teams, consisting of her **partner** , and Lily's. Fairy Tail Team B, strong and ready to go head-to-head with the other teams whether it would be their own Guild mates or the members of another participating Guild. The Master started laughing and Seph gave a stronger smile as Laxus looked up to find her, giving a grin and a wave. She waved back as noticeably as possible with her free hand, not ready to let go of Lily's yet. She still needed a bit of support at the moment from the shock…

A lot of people didn't seem to be familiar with the rule of having two teams entered and being left up to chance with the elimination round, so while Chapati explained, Seph took a quick look around. If Raven Tail was here, she just wanted to make sure that no one else bad was… It was a major relief to not see anyone she didn't want to. Lily might ask later, but… what could she say, honestly, other than she had bad run-ins with Dark Guilds? She couldn't tell the truth… Not just yet…

She had heard that Fairy Tail tended to fight a lot, as in physical and not very much verbal or arguing, and the Master was sure that they'd have no problem fighting each other publicly in a tournament. No one in the Guild really seemed to mind, honestly, they just seemed proud in their Guild mates and their Master. Seph was pretty proud of her partner, to be honest… There was a lot of talk about Jellal, or Mystogan, or whatever they called him. She couldn't keep up properly, but she picked up a sense of partnership, secrecy, and a mixing of Earthland and Edolas talk. It made a little more sense with all of that somehow, but she was still fairly confused…

Coming in first place, however quite obviously for a lot of people besides herself, was a Guild by the name of Sabertooth. They were the current most powerful Guild in Fiore, apparently, and had gotten into a miff with Fairy Tail over power and certain types of Dragon Slayers. She could understand it, kind of, but she was also a little confused like she was with… well, everything at this point. She spotted other Exceeds in the stands, one with reddish-orange fur and one in a frog suit, and Happy suddenly got riled up, scaring her a bit. Were they… not good…? She couldn't tell anymore, not properly anyways…

Either way, all of the teams were accounted for and all of the spectators were back into a cheery mood, ready to see some action. Seph didn't know if she was ready or not, but she was already here, so she might as well just stay to watch. There was just a lot of explaining to do first, after all, so she had time to sort of prepare herself for whatever was going to happen. She couldn't help but look around again, completely on edge with everything that happened although she continued listening to the instructions and explanations that the emcee was giving so that she was up to date.

"… Hey, are you even listening?" Someone asked from off to the side, bringing the attention to her as the teams got ready. She was listening and she could prove it to the young boy who had asked.

"One member from each of the eight teams is to participate in the games' opening game, "Hidden". The rules will be explained after the teams have chosen their participants." She repeated strongly, a little surprised that she didn't stutter. She loved to explain stuff, honestly, especially after hearing it from someone or reading about it… well, definitely after reading it. She loved to read and share knowledge. The young boy looked a little taken back, but then gave her a grin.

"You're observant, just like Laxus!" He stated as if it was obvious, but she didn't really think so. She was just… kind of good with these kinds of things, a little bit, maybe… "Oh, I'm Romeo, by the way."

She paused for a moment before opening her mouth to introduce herself back, but he reminded her that he already knew her name and then went back to watching the competition because the participating players from all of the eight teams had been chosen. She decided to turn her gaze back to the battlefield as well, just hoping to get everyone's eyes off of her. Luckily, they turned their attention back to the battlefield as well. After all, they had just created a town out of magic just for the competition… and they were definitely funded to be using so many Lacrima Vision screens. Seph just hoped that she wasn't sticking out like a sore thumb… maybe coming to one of the biggest events in Fiore was a bad idea…

This competition looked very confusing to her with all of the copies of the contestants and the hiding and the seeking… and with the fact that it was hard to find the actual opponents without pinpointing them somehow.

"You have your thinking face on." Lily suddenly said, slipping his hand out of hers and putting it on her shoulder. She had a thinking face? Nonetheless, she gave him a nod, talking softly so she wouldn't stutter because it would be hard to understand all of her thoughts while stuttering. Others were listening, too, she knew it, but she didn't really mind. This was right up her alley, after all.

"… Well, you **could** search for your opponents by their magic power, but since the copies are made from magic, you wouldn't be able to pinpoint them properly without the proper ability to search for someone's magic power or the strength of it, at least. You could try using **your** magic to find **theirs** or something along those lines, but if you accidentally catch a copy by mistake, then you'll lose points… You could wait it out, blend in with the copies, and wait for someone to slip up, but the timer might run out before you could get any points because of how big the town is." She explained the best she could, watching as Lily nodded along thoughtfully. It made sense, didn't it? "With Gray down by two points and Juvia down by one point, this might not turn out good for us…"

"It's only the first competition, though, so don't worry." Lily reassured her, in which she took a deep breath and nodded. No more thinking, just watching. It wasn't like she was participating or able to share her thoughts with Gray anyways… She was glad to be learning some names, through the games or from the people themselves. She had learned through others who other people were as well, so things were going okay. It would be okay.

Juvia went up a point while Gray remained stagnant; the pair of them meeting up after Juvia took out Lyon. She let it slip about the winning team deal the Master had made with them and it made Seph give a shaky smile, still a little off from everything, but enjoying how goofy and care-free Fairy Tail tended to be. However, that smile dropped when Nalpudding from Raven Tail brought Gray down to minus three and Juvia back down to minus one before Eve drew out all the contestants by making it snow. In the cold, you could see people's breath, but clones didn't need to actually breathe. It was a smart tactic, but it didn't go for much more than three points in a row due to Lyon from Lamia Scale attacking and bringing his points back down to two, while Lyon's points went up to one.

The competition continued in turns before Rufus from Sabertooth appeared for the first time since it had all started, attacking every single one of the other seven contestants with one spell merely moments before the timer for the competition ran out. He rocketed to first place without even needing to hide and never even got hit, which made Seph a little scared to be standing in the same arena as someone like that. They were switching over to the battle part of the day and Seph tried to keep herself as relaxed as possible as they announced the match up. It was Lucy from Fairy Tail Team A and someone named Flare from Raven Tail. This wasn't going to help her stay calm…

Both girls took the field, Lucy looking more fired up and determined than anyone Seph had witnessed in her whole life. She hadn't exactly been around people who cared about others… The exact moment the battle had started, Lucy started attacking right away. Seph had gotten a feeling from Lucy's magic levels that her magic had to do with celestial beings and now it was confirmed that Lucy used Celestial Spirits. She seemed to have good connections with the ones she brought out so far, too. Flare's magic was connected to her hair, being able to grow it up and use it like it was one of her own limbs. She could also set it on fire without burning it all off and while interesting, Seph couldn't help but worry about Raven Tail's intentions… She didn't voice it, not like the First Master had, but she still thought about it.

Lucy didn't have the upper hand for much longer, as Flare did have the potential to fight well, but she did her best to stay leveled with the other girl for as long as she possibly could. Both of them had taken a moderate amount of damage, Lucy having to throw away her burned and shredded boots while only complaining that she had liked them. Seph admired that, honestly, because she hated the feeling of being burned. It reminded her too much of something…

However, Lucy's leg might have been damaged more than she had let off because Flare had thrown her down before she could really take a breath. She was unable to stand up before Flare had used her hair to grab the blonde, holding her extended in the air with all four of her limbs spread and she wasn't able to get undone for some reason. Lucy kept her head down, her jaw tight and her teeth in a heavy bite without speaking or making a sound. Seph could see the look in her eyes, though, and she knew it well.

It was fear. She had felt that before, an on-going fear that would never really stop coursing through her because of the situation she was stuck in. It was a situation that she didn't know how to talk about, but she was scared… and this reminded her of a similar time. It reminded her of a dark room, with chains biting at her wrists and ankles and a constant fear running through her veins, when she either cried or she screamed… She wasn't allowed to talk. She wasn't allowed to leave.

She couldn't keep watching and had ended up nearly falling from where she stood, her head in her hands and tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Even when someone tried to hold onto her, to help her, all she could feel was someone else.

"… D-Don't h-hurt m-me…" She whimpered, barely managing to get those three words out.

Someone still grabbed onto her, though, saying something to someone else and basically dragging her away to somewhere else. It was the quietest place they could find, sitting her down and taking their hands off of her so she could calm down, but not leaving her side. They had to keep an eye on her and she didn't even know why they were being so nice, especially now while she was freaking out. She had to calm down. She had to take deep breaths. She had to remind herself that she was here, free, and not there, trapped.

Once she had calmed down, she reached out to whoever had brought her away from the ruckus to calm down, and she saw the black paw gently grabbing her shaky little light gray one. Lily, of course… She didn't even know how to thank him; she just squeezed his hand and motioned carefully to him that she wanted to stand up. She was okay now. She had calmed down, she was okay. He helped her stand and gave her hand a squeeze to ask if she was stable, and she nodded in reply. She took a moment, letting time pass in hopes that the fight would be over and Lucy would be okay, and then gave Lily another nod. He started to walk, keeping a firm grip on her hand so that he could support her if she needed it, and following behind him slowly.

"… Y-… You're a good friend…" She let out softly as a way of thanking him. He merely shrugged in return and squeezed her hand a bit, continuing to walk.

The word "friend" made her think…  
Were they really friends or was this going to end up like the last time…?


	4. The GMG: Day Two

The rest of the day turned out okay. The second battle was between Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus and Arana Webb of Mermaid Heel, in which Ren won when Arana let her guard down. The third battle was between War Cry of Quatro Cerberus and Orga Nanagear of Sabertooth, where Orga won and scared the living hell out of both Lily and Seph with his lightning magic. Seph found an exception with Laxus' lightning, but otherwise, it really scared her. That fear was something they had in common. The last battle of the day was between Mystogan, or Jellal, of their Fairy Tail Team B and Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale. Jellal seemed set up to win, but something weird happened and Jura ended up winning.

Although Seph didn't really like it, the Guild had ended up in a bar to go over their first day. Even though they had ended up at the bottom, they were all determined to make it to the top, and it made Seph feel much better from her episode earlier that day. Although, she made an extra effort to stay out of the way when Natsu started getting into fights and beating people up. Even though Gajeel had gone to fight with Natsu, Laxus made a point that it would most likely destroy the bar and Gajeel responded by patting Laxus' head, saying that it had gotten rounder. Freed got mad and Levy tried to make him stop, and although Seph didn't mean to, she had let out a small snort.

She couldn't help it; she found the way they interacted funny.

Freed even tried to gather the Raijinshuu to beat up Gajeel, but Bickslow and Evergreen had been thrown under the table drunk by a girl named Cana. He had turned to her for help, but she told him that her juice was really good and she didn't want to leave it unattended and he made her laugh by falling against the table in defeat. Gajeel actually sat down, though, alongside Levy, and was able to hold a conversation with Laxus. Upon his partner sitting down, Lily had joined them and Seph found herself being quite social for the first time in quite awhile. She was able to smile while talking, too, and felt free with her words to a certain point.

"You never told me you had a partner!" Gajeel suddenly accused Laxus, in which he gave an amused grin. Lily looked a little annoyed with his partner's stupidity, but Seph knew herself to be patient.

"She showed up three months ago is why." Laxus told Gajeel, in which he gave off a weird look. Levy gave a soft smile.

"Well, it's nice to see you getting along with someone so well!" She stated, trying to make sure a fight didn't start. Seph had heard Levy's name from behind her at some point during the games and was glad to know who she was because she seemed nice. Laxus shrugged a bit, letting out a sound, and Seph merely smiled because she knew that he would never admit being kind towards her. It obviously showed, but she could understand not wanting to be viewed as soft. It often got people in trouble, after all.

"Hold on a second." Gajeel butted in. Seph's smile dropped at his suspicious tone and she got ready to be asked a bunch of questions. She had been waiting for this, honestly. "I never really clued in before because I was tryin' to figure things out on my own, but she just showed up three months ago, during around when trainin' started? That's awfully convenient."

"Are you accusing my partner?" Laxus asked defensively, in which Levy looked a little worried about a fight actually starting. Gajeel let out a scoff.

"I'm just askin' the real questions here, man." He responded with a growl, in which Seph put her head down. She felt Lily putting a hand on her back for comfort and appreciated the effort, even if it was a failure. "Where'd she come from? What was she doin' out and about all alone and injured like you said?" Laxus had talked about her? When had he had the chance to…?

"Gajeel…" Lily addressed his partner with a warning sounding tone. Gajeel stopped, but only because he had gotten to ask a couple of his questions and Seph didn't like the awkward silence that had followed. What could she say?

"… I-I can't t-tell y-you where I c-came from, n-not just yet…" She told them softly, her head down and her gaze averted away from them. She really didn't know when she would be able to tell them. "… B-But I was… r-running away… fr-from someone…" God that sounded so suspicious. There was a pause, and then Gajeel spoke again.

"… Are you in trouble?" He asked, surprisingly softly in a concerned tone. Everyone at the table seemed to be asking that exact same question with their eyes stuck on her, wanting an answer and waiting for it.

"… Knowing m-my luck…" She started clutching at her necklace from underneath her shirt. The only person who really only probably knew about it would be Freed, but otherwise, she had kept it hidden. She didn't even know if he knew, but it was important… "… Y-Yah… I-I'd say so…"

* * *

The following night had been one where Seph was in and out of sleep. Lily wouldn't dare leave her side and Laxus was far too alert to have gotten enough sleep, and Seph wasn't sure if Gajeel had slept or not because he was the first one up and ready to go in the morning. She wondered if she should've kept her mouth shut about it, but they probably would've found out one way or another… It was better for them to be alert and expecting something than to be taken down unexpectedly without a chance at protecting themselves.

The second day of the games started quite simply after that, starting off obviously with the competition part. It went by the name of Chariot and you could guess just from the name that the competition would've taken place on top of a line of vehicles, with the idea being to reach the goal without falling off. The vehicles were always moving, so just one moment of carelessness could lead to a misstep, and they were going to wend their way around the sightseeing spots of Crocus with the team members participating arriving at Domus Flau…

But way in the rear of the race was a groggy-looking Natsu, most obviously from his motion sickness. Seph felt bad for him, but she honestly wondered why he even went for it with the name telling all… and right in front of him was Gajeel, with Sting from Sabertooth straight in front of both of them. They were all suffering from motion sickness and although Seph felt bad, she couldn't help but let out a snort at their states. Why did they participate with the name being so obvious as to what the competition entailed!? They were all Dragon Slayers… so did all Dragon Slayers get motion sickness?

That would include Laxus, which made Seph snort again. She really didn't want to laugh at her Guild mates, but… Oh Gosh… They were trying their best, though, and she admired that. Even with their motion sickness, they had come in sixth and seventh place with Sting having dropped out of the competition. She didn't know why he didn't continue trying like Natsu and Gajeel had, but their teams had gotten a couple of points because of this, so… It was okay. Fairy Tail really was a good Guild, she knew that for sure because they were competing for their friends and not for their reputation or anything of the sort. No matter if they got injured or had to go through motion sickness, they fought… she wished that she could understand the feeling of being fought for. She understood the feeling of motion sickness just fine; after all, she did tend to get a little motion sick on boats, so she could understand the pain of going through this competition…

Moving onto the battle part of the day, after Natsu had been taken to the infirmary, the first match of the day was between Kurohebi of Raven Tail, their Guild being in first at the moment, and Toby Horhorta from Lamia Scale. They all got a little concerned because it was someone from Raven Tail fighting and Seph hoped that it would be a fair fight this time… although, knowing Raven Tail, it wouldn't be fair at all. They would cheat in some way just to win, she knew their kind. No matter how strong Toby came out to be, they'd win somehow and she didn't like that. Everyone in their stand was cheering for Toby to beat down Kurohebi because he was from Raven Tail, and upon seeing Kurohebi gain the upper hand with Mimic Magic, Seph couldn't help but cheer him on as well.

"You can do it, Toby!" She yelled, trying not to strain her voice. She just wanted to be loud enough so he could hear her among everyone else. Mimic Magic was rare, but she had seen it before. She knew someone who used it fairly well…

Before she knew it, they had made a weird bet between whoever would win. If Toby won, Kurohebi would reveal his real name and if Kurohebi won, Toby would reveal a secret about himself. It was a weird bet, but… She supposed that it made things interesting for all of the spectators… She didn't like it, but even without cheap tricks and cheating, they had strong people on their team. They proved it with Kurohebi winning and Seph found her hands covering her face as she shook her head. This was pointless! Why was Raven Tail even competing in the first place? They didn't care about winning, did they?

And Toby's secret was that one of his socks was missing. He couldn't find it, even when it was wrapped around his neck… Lamia Scale's team looked both shocked and ashamed, and Seph couldn't blame them. The biggest mystery no one could ever solve would be people themselves, how they worked on their own besides biology and psychology. She had to admit that she was a little surprised when Kurohebi held out a hand for Toby, seeming to be going for a handshake… but she found herself a little angry when Kurohebi actually grabbed Toby's found sock and ripped it to shreds. Even if it was stupid to a lot of people, it had been precious to Toby! She really hadn't felt angry in a long time… He was left crying on the battlefield as his opponent walked away and Seph didn't know what to was just too cruel, but she should've expected it. Raven Tail had been a Dark Guild, after all, and those kinds of things didn't just fade away.

When moving on to the second match of the day, it was announced that a powerful man by the name of Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus would be fighting against a Fairy Tail member from Team A. By power and guessing, Seph could hear everyone talking about it being Erza… but it wasn't. It was him against Elfman.

"It's over." Happy stated with a couple of guys, in which Seph frowned a bit.

"That's a terrible thing to say!" Lisanna, Elfman's younger sister, whined at them. Seph had to admit, it was a little mean… but she didn't know Elfman as well as they did so…

Seph didn't like what she heard from Bacchus as he made a bet with Elfman, hearing it repeat in her head multiple times. Just because they were Elfman's sisters, that didn't mean he could make a bet like that… She felt another episode creeping up on her, but Lily cautiously grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze to help ground her.

"Do you need to sit…?" He asked softly, in which she shook her head. She didn't need to sit down, not just yet. She was sensitive to the yelling she heard from around her, but she would be okay… She had to learn how to be strong, and she had support from her friends. She had **friends**.

Even so, she could feel her anxiety flaring as Elfman was brought down onto one knee, unable to land a single blow. She could feel Lisanna's worry from to her right, but since she was so open to sound, she heard Evergreen's comforting words. If she believed in Elfman, then Seph could keep herself calm and believe in him, too… Even when she swayed a bit and had to sit down with Lily's help, she did her best to stay as calm as she possibly could.

Everyone was being so loud with their cheering that she couldn't even be scared; she just hoped that their volume could carry past everything else so that Elfman felt cheered on. The power you could gain from being believed in by important people… It's something she had only felt once, but she remembered it like it had happened merely moments ago. You'd feel unstoppable and you could do anything you had thought of doing, no matter how impossible it seemed. She believed that Elfman could win this fight.

If it wasn't for himself or for the Guild, then it would be for his sisters.

And she learned that even in serious situations, Fairy Tail could still take it easy. As Elfman stood again, he got out what he had decided for his part of the bet if he won… Quatro Cerberus would be named "Quatro Puppy" for the duration of the games. Everyone took a moment to calm down from the seriousness and the Seph started hearing a couple of giggles and snicker. She ended up giving a small smile, motioning to Lily to help her stand up again. Although he was hesitant, he helped her stand up and she stood strong without shaking too much. Elfman wouldn't lose this, she could tell by the look on his face… She could see it in his soul when she focused, and the soul never lied.

She knew that he got a little worried when Bacchus downed his bottle of booze, but he was still absolute… Did he have a plan? He must've, with how confident he looked. He didn't show it straightforward, but if you looked hard enough, you could see all of his confidence in his eyes. He did… He used a Take Over that strengthened his body with hard scales so that whenever Bacchus would hit him, he would take damage as well. It would either be Bacchus' hands or Elfman's body that would give out and because everyone was specifically told not to take their eyes off of either of them, no one looked away.

Well, Freed had to because Evergreen got so pumped up that she had started to choke him. Seph hadn't even been paying attention to the fact that Evergreen had put a hand on her head and had started to ruffle her fur. She really didn't mind… They were on the same team and excited over the same thing, so she hadn't even taken notice towards it. This felt nice… having people that she could count on… even when Elfman seemed to have lost; they stayed together in anticipation to see how things would really end. It was like Bacchus had won… but he fell to the ground, and Elfman was left as the sitting champion of the battle.

"Bacchus is down!"

Even though Evergreen was choking the life out of Freed, she found a way to wrap an arm around Seph, who gladly accepted it… She found herself smiling widely at Elfman's win, past the emotions of an episode creeping up behind her. It wouldn't happen today, not today of all days. Lily had gotten caught up in the fray and Evergreen was squishing him in between Seph and Freed, but Seph didn't mind being pushed up against him. In fact, she wound her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly, a moment passing before he hugged her back in a small state of shock.

It was a great victory, after all.

* * *

With the Raijinshuu watching over Elfman while he rested in the infirmary and Wendy back up on her feet, Team A had no real problem with being at twelve points and moving into their reserve members. Carla was also back up on her feet and because Seph had gone to the infirmary with the Raijinshuu to help heal up Elfman a bit, she had gotten to meet the Exceed briefly before she left with her partner to go watch the next match. Seph decided to stay behind with her team for awhile, chatting away while Elfman rested. Seph didn't exactly like how the healer for their team, Porlyusica, kept looking at her, though, so she didn't stay long. She covered it up by promising to cheer on their Guild extra hard for the Raijinshuu and left as quickly as possible without being suspicious.

She returned just in time to witness Mirajane win against Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus, gaining ten points for Team B. She grabbed a spot between Lily and Carla, gaining many greetings from the others on her return, which made her quite happy. She felt a little more at home because of that… However, the last battle became a very serious one between Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel, a pair of obviously very powerful women by the names of Yukino and Kagura stepping forward to battle against each other. It was an uneasy atmosphere, something about the both of them throwing her off when they both bet on their lives… and it was a very balanced battle, but Yukino ended up losing. Seph was expecting it to come out as a tie, but it turned out that she was wrong and just like that, the second day of the **Grand Magic Games** had ended.

It made her very, very uneasy…


	5. The GMG: Day Three

Seph had barely gotten any sleep the night before the third day of the **Grand Magic Games** because she had been thinking far too hard about how the second day had gone. She hadn't had an episode, luckily, but it made her wonder if she would have one the next day when she would wake up. She wondered about her nightmares, which had gone away for a little bit like usual… and she had started crying at some point when she couldn't sleep like she usually would. It was only when she couldn't sleep and she thought of the times when she was very little, when her Mother would sing lullabies to her in order to help her sleep. Sometimes her Father would sing to her, but only when her Mother was busy.

She slept for a couple of hours before having to get up, in which Laxus obviously noticed, but he couldn't really do anything about it. She just… couldn't stop thinking about some things, so she hoped that the games would distract her from them. She was definitely distracted by the fact that many members from the Magic Council were running around, but… at least it kept her alert. Less alert than when the Master scared all of them by explaining what he meant by the event of the third day being a haunted house. Seph knew what Pandemonium meant, but he still had to go there. He had scared everyone, not just her.

Seph wasn't really surprised by what they did using magic during the games anymore, although mostly when they were creating fields for the events, but she didn't understand why the castle they created was left upside down and not simply created upright. There were a hundred monsters inside as well, so she wondered if that's just how physics worked with these kinds of things, but honestly… just the D class monsters looked fairly strong and the monsters were leveled D, C, B, A and S.

"Even though he says they're just magical manifestations, if you get attacked by them, you're hurt for real, right?" Happy asked a little nervously, in which Seph hummed a little bit to agree with that logic.

This seemed to be more of a counting game with the power of the monsters and the power of the contestants, though. They had the right to challenge as many monsters as they deemed fit and they were drawing sticks that gave them numbers. Erza got number one while Cana got number eight and Seph didn't think too much about it… not until Erza exercised her right to challenge **all one hundred monsters**. She didn't hesitate and she didn't stutter. She didn't even go for a necessary fifty-one so that no one could top the amount of points she had. She just… went straight for all one hundred of the monsters as if she was making a statement with it.

Even with the D class monsters looking tough, that didn't mean that the other classes didn't. It wasn't like that at all. In fact, it was almost like they grew in size and scariness as the rank of them went up, and obviously by strength as well. This was the first time Seph was seeing Erza in action, though, and with her fast Requipping-type magic, Seph had a feeling that the red-headed mage would be able to hold on. She sent an omni-directional attack out first and Seph brightened up almost immediately, clapping her hands together and lifting them up to her mouth.

"Was she trying to demolish them all at once?" Romeo asked, in which Seph quickly opened her mouth to reply. She felt bad because she noticed the First Master going to reply as well, but she talked too quickly to even be able to think of stopping herself.

"No! By doing an omni-directional attack, she learned the responses, the abilities, and the defensive capabilities of each and every rank monster that's currently there. After all, this isn't something you can just wing and I was a little shocked at her exercising her right to challenge by challenging all one hundred, but it seems that she knows what she's doing." Seph got out as slowly as she possibly could, causing a lot of people to go quiet. She noticed the First Master smiling at her and felt like some sort of fan girl, just a little bit… and then Happy spoke up to break the silence.

"Well, of course! She's Erza, after all!" He stated, bringing everyone to laugh. Seph felt her cheeks heat up upon realizing that she had probably spoke a bit too much and was going to keep quiet with a steady smile pulling at her lips, but she was asked a question not too long after Happy's statement.

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Carla asked with a light laugh, in which Seph couldn't help but nod. She felt her stutter coming back, but it was still stuck because of her joy over explaining such things.

"I've read a lot of books about strong Mages, y'know? I read one on Requip Magic awhile back, but I've never really seen a Mage using it before… I'm just excited to see it so close-up and Erza seems to know how to use it well, as her Requip speed seems a little beyond anything recorded down before." Seph explained before pausing, then adding more. "Of course, I read a lot of ancient books instead of up-to-date ones, so… I could be wrong…" A hum from behind her made her take a look, noticing Levy shrugging a bit.

"I don't think you are. Erza **is** pretty strong." She said, gaining many hums of agreement.

Things went silent again as everyone went back to watching Erza on the Lacrima Vision screens and Seph couldn't help but relax because she felt so… in-place. She wasn't getting shoved around for being a bookworm or pushed down with any of her knowledge or ideas. It felt pretty good, honestly.

Erza had knocked down plenty of the D class monsters, including around five of the C-class monsters already, so it would seem that she was on a roll. With the omni-directional attack, she would've also been able to calculate which armor to use against which monster and that was more than enough to get her on a roll in destroying all one hundred monsters. She had obviously taken some damage, but considering some things that Seph had heard about Erza from Laxus and the Raijinshuu, she didn't think that Erza was anywhere near pure exhaustion. It was magnificent in Seph's eyes. Erza had such strength and fast judgement when it came to Requipping against opponents… and with the confidence to back that up… She was quite a wonderful Mage.

She had already cut down half of the monsters. Her every move was polished with not a movement wasted. Even if she looked pretty beat up and exhausted, all she needed was a couple of moments to catch her breath and regain a bit of her lost magic power before rushing back into battle once again. She appeared so fearless that Seph wondered if it was true, that she was really the "terrifying Titania". She didn't appear to be scary… She was just really powerful and smart, using an A-class monster's weight against it to have it struck down.

Seph didn't know Erza all too well, but she had little to no doubt that she would be able to win against the one hundred challenged monsters. She looked so calm and so steady, even when facing the S-class monster one-on-one. It was the last monster, the strongest one, and she looked determined to defeat it. She had come so far …

Seph could see that Erza's concentration and sense of tension had doubled upon meeting the highest ranked monster. Even after being thrown around a couple of times by it, she sliced its hands apart as if they weren't bigger than her or stronger than her. They probably weren't stronger with how easily she got through them with her swords, but Seph couldn't tell quite properly from how fast the red-headed Mage was moving. She didn't just stop with the hands either, not even after being beaten down… even though she probably should've fallen, she soared much like a fairy full of determination.

That's why she was given the title of Titania… She was just like a dignified scarlet flower in all of its glory… Nobody held a candle to her.

Seph couldn't help but let a few tears escape her eyes at the sight of the determined warrior, holding her sword to the sky in victory and standing simply as if she was just setting up to be painted. She was injured, that was for sure, but she was **still standing** … and it was amazing.

* * *

After all was said and done, and Erza was taken to the infirmary, they set up another small event to rank the rest of the teams. It was a simple Magic Power Finder, or MPF, in which Seph had seen before and knew about, but she supposed that it was fair.

Millianna from Mermaid Heel went up first, using a peculiar type of magic, and got up to a fairly good score of 365. It was a level high enough to make someone a captain or a leader of something important.  
Nobarly from Quatro Cerberus… well, Quatro Puppy… was next up got a score of 124, which wasn't as high as Millianna, but it was still a good score. It was good enough score for a co-captain or co-leader, or something of the sort.  
Hibiki of Blue Pegasus went next and got a kind of low score, ninety-five, and Seph felt a little bad, but… Honestly, it wasn't that bad. He was still pretty strong in other ways, as Seph could see from before that he used Archive Magic. He was more intellectual than powerful and that was okay. Intellect was a good thing to have.  
Up fourth was Obra of Raven Tail, who got a suspiciously low score of merely four. Seph didn't believe it for one second and with the tension in the air, she knew that the others didn't believe it either. He was the one who attacked Wendy and Carla, after all.  
While Millianna was in the lead, Orga from Sabertooth stepped up and took the spot from her by landing a high score of 3825. It was the highest they had all seen so far, but Seph didn't know what to say besides the fact that it was the highest score she had seen **ever**. However, she had an odd feeling that it wasn't going to stay that way for long…  
With Jura from Lamia Scale, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, stepping up to the MPF… Seph could already feel her tiny whiskers tingling from the Magic power he was letting drift into the air as he prepared himself. He put tremendous pressure on the air and came out with an unsurprising score of 8544…

Seph wasn't surprised because he was one of the Ten Wizard Saints and she knew a lot about them, and very well. She was just worried about Cana, who was flat-faced drunk at this point and still drinking from a bottle. She was supposed to be concentrating, but she was so care-free… However, the moment she stripped her jacket to reveal a mark on her arm that Seph was sure she had seen in a book before, everyone seemed to be leaning over in anticipation for how strong this would be.

Seph was nearly shocked into unconsciousness upon seeing that the MPF had been destroyed, smashed to pieces, and the counter had been forced to stop at the highest it could count: 9999. She honestly wanted to ask what this Guild was, but… She was a member of it now, so there was no point. She'd just hear a response that she would already be expecting: because it's Fairy Tail.

They moved onto the battle of part of the day and while Seph was hyped, very excited from the events that happened before; she was still a little worried that something was going to happen. She tried not to think about it as Millianna from Mermaid Heel and Semmes from Quatro Puppy took the field, but it kept nagging at the back of her mind even as Millianna won and the next pair was brought forth. It was Eve Term from Blue Pegasus against Rufus Lore from Sabertooth and Seph did her best to pay attention even with the thoughts running through her head. She took deep breaths to ground herself, merely watching with a frown as Rufus brought Eve down despite Eve doing his best to defeat the Sabertooth member.

Seph found out where her bad feeling was coming from, though, just as they announced the next match-up. It all made sense when she found out that the next match would be her partner, Laxus, against a Raven Tail member by the name of Alexei who just screamed suspicion. Lily put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from freaking out, however, motioning over to Warren before pointing up to a ledge so she could catch sight of Bisca. The woman was keeping her eye on the Master of Raven Tail, Ivan, and Lily pointed up to somewhere else, where the Raijinshuu and Lisanna were keeping an eye on Raven Tail's team members. It helped her stay at ease a little bit…

No one was going to mess with her partner and get away with it.

… That's what Seph wanted to say, but the moment the match started and Laxus got punched, she accidentally let out a scream. Everyone had jumped and she slapped her hands over her mouth to apologize, feeling Lily rubbing her back to try and comfort her. No one said anything, no one told her to shut up and deal with it like she had kind of expected even after seeing how kind this Guild turned out to be, and she wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to wait until the match was over because she felt useless having to just stand there and watch, but she couldn't… There was something that was telling her to keep watching, to stay alert, almost as if there was something wrong. There had to be something wrong because Laxus should've been balanced with this Alexei guy, but he wasn't turning out to be.

There was something wrong, but Seph just couldn't tell what it was and she felt absolutely, purely **useless** as she watched her partner get tossed around. Ivan wasn't doing anything… the Raven Tail team members weren't doing anything crooked… What was going on!? There was no way that Alexei was that powerful! She just had to focus, she just had to know or she was going to freak…

But she couldn't feel their souls, no matter how hard she tried, and that added to her feeling of something being wrong.

"I can't feel them!" She let out without being able to stop herself, knowing that everyone was looking at her. She was scared, absolutely and completely just terrified of what was going on.

"What? What can't you feel?" Lily asked, firmly gripping her shoulder to help keep her grounded. Seph closed her eyes, trying to see if she could feel anything that way or maybe even see their souls, but jack crud came up.

"I… I can't feel their souls! I can't see their souls!" Seph replied, on the verge of freaking out if she wasn't doing so already. She probably was already freaking out, honestly. "It's this thing I do, this kind of Magic I have or something… I-I can't explain it, but I just can't feel them or see them!"

She started to hit herself in the head like usual when she freaked out over these kinds of things. Something was obviously wrong, she had basically just told them that, but no one could possibly know what. What if she thought she was crazy…? Then, Lily suddenly grabbed her wrists, holding her hands in front of her firmly, but gently, so she would stop hitting herself. She couldn't pay attention, though, not when she didn't understand what was going on. Laxus had a soul, she could feel it before, but all of the sudden he didn't and Alexei didn't have one either… She couldn't think straight at all!

"You need to calm down. You're freaking out, so your magic is probably messing up and if you keep going like this, then you'll probably end up in another episode." Lily told her calmly, motioning as he guided her to take deep breaths and keeping her hands in front of them so she wouldn't hit herself. If she moved them to do so, he quickly put them back in place. She didn't know how to feel, but she did her best to try and calm down. "I'm sure he'll be fine, just give it time."

"… O-Okay…" She managed to get out, nearly choking on that one small word.

"Laxus!"

Seph flinched under the Master's loud voice, but still looked up nonetheless to see him holding up his hand in a certain way. She didn't know what it meant or what significance it held, but it was obviously something important. She hadn't even realized that she had been crying, but once she clicked in and felt the tears, she lifted a hand to quickly wipe them away, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"… I'm okay now…" She reassured him, backing away a little bit. He caught her hand, gently squeezing it and keeping a hold of it once she squeezed it back, giving him a small smile back from his own. "… Thanks…"

"It's no problem." He responded truthfully, a little to her surprise, waiting for her to turn her attention back to the match before he went back to watching it himself.

It was just then that Seph felt something in the air before feeling a piece of Magic break, watching the match fade away as if it was an illusion—which it most likely was—to reveal Laxus standing above all the team members of Raven Tail, including the Master of the Guild. He had beaten them down like they were nothing and came out the victor. She didn't know what she had felt… perhaps a little stupid for not realizing it and breaking down into tears because she couldn't understand what was going on, but… She felt really proud and relieved as well. He was okay… Laxus was okay!

"I told you so." Lily chuckled, in which Seph's hand slipped from his. He freaked out a little bit, thinking that he had done something wrong, but then Seph suddenly hugged him tightly. He nearly fell over from the shock, but managed to hug her back a little bit before she pulled away. He was ready to tell her that it was okay upon thinking that maybe she felt dumb for doing so, but the way her eyes sparkled with relief and joy and the way her smile took up her whole face beautifully… It made him go silent.

"You were right, I feel so **stupid**!" She laughed, making him let out a small snort. She was hopping up and down like a child. "Of course he won, it's _**Laxus**_! Why wouldn't he!? He's **so _cool_**!"

Lily couldn't help but tune out everything else in favor of listening to the excited, joyful girl in front of him. She didn't just look that way, she sounded so… ecstatic. It just pulled him in and he had to listen until she didn't really have much else to say and the games were getting a move onto the next match of the day. It was also the final one and it was between Wendy from their Fairy Tail Team A and a girl named Chelia Blendy from Lamia Scale.

However, as both contestants took the field, the pair of them tripped over small rocks sticking up on the battlefield and ended up falling face-first into the ground. They greeted each other down there and then stood up to face each other, in which many of the spectators were laughing over the little dispute. It was a very short-lived light feeling before the pair started to fight, which left a very heavy, serious feeling in the air. They were both fairly balanced, but with Chelia's magic… She overtook Wendy just by a little bit. They both looked small and cute, but the amount of magic power they both carried was much stronger and bigger than they would first appear.

Of course, having a small body and powerful magic sometimes backfired. Seph knew that well… but Wendy and Chelia seemed to have their magic under control.

They were two wizards, both wielding Wind Magic, and Chelia might have been one rank higher, but… Strictly speaking, it was technically Sky Magic. It had to do with the air and because both Dragon Slayers and God Slayers ate their elements, Wendy and Chelia were able to re-establish their Magic Power levels by eating their air… in a way. Wendy ate enough to gather most of her magic, if not all, to use the Secret Art for her kind of Dragon Slayer Magic. It was a marvel to witness, everyone watching as Chelia fell to the ground and Wendy kept standing with all of her strength…

And then Chelia stood back up, healing her injuries with her magic as if it was nothing. Wendy could barely stand and it was hard to watch, but no one could say anything. It was Wendy's choice to keep going, to refuse to surrender… and she'd never admit it out loud at the moment, but Seph admired Wendy's brave choice to do that. She wished that she could resemble Wendy's bravery, even in the slightest, but she couldn't…

Chelia planned to end the match with one more hit to "make it easy" on Wendy, but her strongest attack… somehow missed. She had the right accuracy up until now, so why did that…? Oh. Chelia could only heal her wounds with her magic, not her magic power itself. Wendy was the opposite, unable to heal herself but able to restore another person's strength.

Wendy revived Chelia's physical strength and because of that, Chelia's magic gained too much force. Wendy had **made** her miss by increasing her strength! It was a really amazing strategy to come up with, especially within such the short time that she had. Both girls continued to fight, neither side giving any ground. It was a clash of little fists, tenacity for the sake of their Guilds… although their fists were small, their passion was vast, and thirty minutes passed by much more quickly than anyone had thought they would.

Wendy and Chelia brought in the first tie of the **Grand Magic Games** this year. They both stood and shook hands, giving each other sweet smiles that would make everyone believe they hadn't just been fighting.

Then, the third day of the **Grand Magic Games** ended.

* * *

Seph felt quiet uneasy when Laxus told her they needed to go somewhere, but she knew it was only because he didn't want her to be left alone at the bar with all of their other Guild mates. No matter how much he trusted them to not hurt her; he just wanted to make sure that she would be okay, so he took her along with him to go meet up with the Master. Seph had a vague clue of where they were going and who they were meeting, but not why. So, when Laxus looked so tense upon the Master arriving, she found herself being tense as well.

"Gramps…" Laxus started, his arms crossed over his chest and one foot against the wall behind him. Makarov waited patiently and Seph held onto the pant leg of the foot that stayed on the ground. "What's Lumen Histoire?" Seph had a very sharp, odd feeling that she had heard that before and who she was sure she had heard it from… She didn't think that it was a good thing, considering who she had heard talking about it briefly a year or so ago.

"You heard this from Ivan?" Makarov questioned, knowing that his son was up to no good. Seph felt like Lumen Histoire itself was no good. Laxus scoffed a little bit.

"Heard about it?" He asked with a slight growl. "All I know is that he wanted it badly."

"That brat will be the end of me…" Makarov sighed, standing with his arms behind his back. Whether it was to support his back or to show that he was not to be messed with, Seph couldn't tell. She didn't think that the Master would threaten his own Grandson or anything, but… She could never be sure anymore.

"He called it "Fairy Tail's darkness"." Laxus told his Grandfather, in which Seph felt her breath hitch. She had almost heard Laxus' voice as a different one and she **really** didn't want to do that…

"It's not darkness."

Seph jumped, feeling like she was about to jump nearly five feet into the air, upon hearing the First Master's voice. She clung to Laxus' leg, worried that this was something she shouldn't know about… It could be dangerous for her to know too much, but what did she have to know about that whole situation? Her entire life was one, big… _**kerfuffle**_.

"Lumen Histoire… That's our Guild's light." Mavis stated, in which Makarov quickly stepped forward.

"First Master, you mustn't!" He warned her, and she gave him a soft smile.

"I know. Only the Master of this Guild had the right to know about it." She told him, allowing him to sigh in relief. She turned to both Laxus and Seph, watching as Seph shrunk behind Laxus' leg a little bit. "Laxus and Seph, do you understand?"

"If it ain't anything weird, then I won't bother looking into it." Laxus promised her. Seph paused under pressure for a moment before nodding to agree with Laxus, even if she was curious. She was better off not knowing, after all…

"But where did Ivan get ahold of that information?" Makarov sort of asked himself, looking deep in thought. Seph knew where he most likely heard of it, but she wasn't sure if she should speak or not… She was glad that the First Master brought up a name because it was most likely that it was Precht, a former Fairy Tail Guild Master and the Master of Grimoire Heart.

"I never imagined that Precht would fall to the dark side. And now, as a result of my shallow-brained selection…" Mavis trailed off, in which Makarov quickly stepped in.

"No. It's not your fault, First Master." He reassured her, only for her to argue against him.

"It is my fault." She stated, starting to cry. The three of them freaked out at the sight of the First Master crying, none of them knowing what to do.

"G-Gramps, what do we do!?" Laxus asked, unsure if he should reach out to her or not. Could you touch a ghost!?

"I'm not crying! Not at all!" Mavis told them suddenly, although it was obvious that she was nearly bawling her eyes out. "I'm not… crying…"

"Laxus, go on, hug her!" Makarov ordered. Seph listened as Laxus yelled back.

"That hurdle's too high!"

She really wasn't prepared for all of this…

* * *

 **A/N: Yo, y'all, I am so friggin' excited for the Fairy Tail Dragon Cry movie! After the Steven Universe bomb ended so abruptly, emotionally and shockingly, I need some good Fairy Tail in my life. NaLu is confirmed, after all, haha! I'm very excited, just thought I should talk a bit, but I hope that you enjoyed this chapter of growing affection and trouble to come..**


	6. The GMG: Day Four

**A/N: I'm busy all day tomorrow, so enjoy an early chapter!**

* * *

"Yay, the pool is so much fun!"

Seph didn't want to be here, no matter how nice the water felt on her little feet and around her ankles. Being in a swimsuit wasn't fun and didn't feel nice, so she ended up with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt… although, even then, she felt a little too exposed. She couldn't even swim, but this was to cheer up the First Master and to stay close to Laxus. This place was crowded, after all, and the city was dangerous after night even if she was going to stay in the hotel room until he got back. She… didn't really want to be alone, honestly. At least Laxus was letting her rest her head against his leg. That was nice.

"What are you doing?"

Seph moved her gaze to find Lucy and Erza, in which she gave the pair of girls a quick smile before going back to watching how the water in the pool moved to keep itself as closed off to air as possible. It wrapped around her ankles when she had her feet submerged in it and, to be honest, it kind of tickled. It tickled in a good way, of course.

""What", you say?" The Master asked, looking like he was channeling his inner peace at least five feet away from her and Laxus.

"We're doing just what it looks like." Laxus replied with a sigh, in which Seph sat up from having her head resting on his leg.

"We're keeping the First Master company." She added to help Lucy understand a little more. She couldn't say anything else without going into detail, so she honestly hoped that it was enough.

"Right…" Lucy agreed shakily before Mavis suddenly popped up from underneath the water again.

"Oh no, I'd forgotten something important!" She told them before climbing out of the water and going over to a clear spot, starting to do different types of stretches. "We need to warm up before swimming! Come on, everyone! Let's do it together!"

Makarov immediately got up and joined them and Laxus ended up joining when Makarov told him to just do it. Seph wasn't going to swim anyways, so she didn't really bother… She wanted to talk to Erza anyways.

"U-Um, Erza!" She called out before the red-headed Mage could walk away with Lucy. They both turned back nearly immediately. "… Th-That's your name, r-right?" Erza nodded, in which Seph sighed in relief a little bit before continuing. "U-Uh, you did r-really g-good during the e-event today!" That was lame, but Erza smiled anyways upon noticing the small Exceed's blush.

"Thank you. It wasn't much, though." She stated, causing Lucy to nearly choke. Seph swallowed a little heavily before nodding and going back to watching her feet move in the water, feeling a little dumb for not being able to say anything else. Erza was just **so** _ **cool**_.

Nonetheless, Freed and Bickslow showed up and joined in on the warming up, which Seph found herself giggling at a little bit. It was good to just relax and have fun for a little while…

Seph ended up leaning against Laxus' leg like a pillow as she laid down, half-tired and half-bored. He only shifted to grab a towel for Mavis because she started to feel cold, somehow, and that was when Seph realized that things were going downhill. She really should've expected it with how things were in this Guild… Gray and Lyon ended up freezing the whole place over and Seph found herself being leaned over by Laxus to be protected from rubble as Natsu exploded the place. He was just trying to unfreeze the place, but he did it all wrong and screwed up the whole thing…

Laxus didn't stay long, as he had to go knock around Natsu and Gray to keep them from running away so the Master could give them a harsh lecture, but Seph stayed on the ground anyways. This Guild was insane…

But it was really fun.

* * *

The competition part for day four of the **Grand Magic Games** happened to be a battle inside a huge water sphere, and they called it the "Naval Battle". Chelia from Lamia Scale, Jenny from Blue Pegasus, Risley from Mermaid Heel, Juvia from Team B, and Lucy from Team A were competing along with a woman named Minerva from Sabertooth that gave Seph a really bad feeling. She also noticed Rocker from Quatro Puppy in the water even though they didn't announce him.

The water was made of magic that allowed the contestants to breathe inside of it, which was a good thing… honestly; it wouldn't work very well any other way. The rules were also very simple. If you were to leave the water, then you would be out.

Almost immediately when the Naval Battle started, Lucy brought out Aquarius and attacked, in which Juvia counter-attacked and brought their attacks to collide head on. Jenny kicked Rocker out of the water sphere and brought Quatro Puppy to an unfortunate **out** before Aquarius left Lucy to… go on a date. Seph couldn't help but let out a snort when hearing that because Lucy had quite the relationship with the Celestial Spirits, and she just hadn't seen it before then. Lucy summoned Virgo and Aries to help her out as quickly as she possibly could to repel against Juvia.

After a little, kinda weird, chat about switching Lucy out with Wendy due to Chelia, the fight that had been paused came back full-force with Lucy still around in the water sphere. Jenny from Blue Pegasus left the sphere, then Chelia from Lamia Scale, and then Risley from Mermaid Heel, bringing in the points and the ranks slowly. Minerva and Lucy were fairing pretty well against Juvia, Lucy with a little more trouble, and the attack seized to leave behind the three of them, Juvia looking proud…

However, Juvia got distracted by looking at Gray and ended up falling out of the water sphere, leaving behind Lucy and Minerva. Juvia brought in six points for her team, though, which was amazing! Now, because of Lucy and Minerva being the last ones, the five minute rule was in place. If either one of them dropped out of the sphere in those five minutes, they'd be pushed into last place… Seph had a feeling that Lucy wasn't going to let that happen, but Minerva wasn't going to give in either.

Seph felt awful upon witnessing Minerva blast Lucy around like a doll, using her magic to heat the water around Lucy. It made her side burn just looking at the water nearly go red just from the power of the heat, making her clutch at her shirt as if that would subdue the pain. It didn't. Minerva had stolen Lucy's keys, after all, and that meant that Minerva could do whatever she wanted.

 _ **She could do whatever she pleased**_.

The five minute timer went off and Seph thought that things would be okay. Lucy could just get knocked out of the sphere and come in second, and Team A would get eight points! But… That didn't happen. Minerva attacked Lucy mercilessly, going so far as to knock her back into the sphere to torture her more. Seph felt her breathing going shallow and her eyesight got fuzzy, but she was so dizzy that she couldn't find out where she was supposed to sit down if she needed to. She couldn't feel properly aside from the tears streaming down her face. She heard very little and felt merely a little bit a pressure when someone helped her sit down, and she couldn't pinpoint their voice very well, but she thought that maybe it was Lily. He had been helping her so much that it didn't even make sense to her, not after… not after what happened… **back** _ **there**_ …

She heard the bells ringing to end the match, but she still felt near throwing up. She was so dizzy, so messed up, so unprepared for all of this… However, Lily gently rubbing her back and giving her instructions on deep breathing just like all of those other times was really helping now. The deep breaths grounded her and helped give her brain more oxygen to calm down and start functioning properly again, which helped her eyesight. Lucy came in second place, but she was terribly wounded by Minerva. The worst part of it was that she acted within the rules of the event, technically, so she would be able to get away with this. Minerva would get away with torturing Lucy, just like… just like **he** got away with doing **things** to her…

 _ **Seph didn't like that**_ **. She didn't want anyone to get away with things like** _ **this**_ **anymore.**

Fairy Tail Team A and Team Sabertooth were standing against each other on the battlefield and no one could really do anything about it, Wendy and Chelia working together to give Lucy emergency treatment to help her stay alive.

"This isn't an official match. If they really do this, we'll go out there, too." Lily said, gaining nods and cheers of agreement from the other Fairy Tail members. Seph paused, taking one last deep breath and nodding. It was only if they had to, because Carla didn't like the idea. They had to try and stay calm right now in order to get Lucy help and keep the games stable. If all of the Guilds started to battle it out like crazy in the arena, innocent people could end up getting just as hurt as Lucy was.

Erza took a stand, stopping Natsu from starting the fight and giving Sabertooth a warning before they quickly moved Lucy to the infirmary.

* * *

Seph met up with Laxus along the way to the infirmary to go and see Lucy. The moment he saw the tears in her eyes and the tear stains on her cheeks, he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to give her comfort, which she appreciated much more greatly than he might've thought. When they got to the infirmary, Lucy was sleeping in a bed with her team around her in worried states.

"So, how is she?" Gajeel asked after the door closed, in which Porlyusica replied immediately.

"Thanks to Wendy, her life isn't in danger." She explained, but Wendy shook her head.

"No, it was because of Chelia's emergency treatment." She insisted.

"Thank goodness…" Mira let out in a breath of relief. Seph let out a small sigh of relief and leaning back against Laxus' shoulder to support herself, a little tired from her small episode.

"And it looks like her major wounds are gone, so I'm relieved." Erza told them, which put them a little more at ease.

"Those bastards…" Natsu started, although he trailed off because he didn't know how to word it.

"I know what you wanna say…" Laxus muttered, holding Seph a little closer to him so she didn't have to lean too much. She gave him a hum of appreciation before letting her ears twitch from hearing Lucy stir, watching as she opened her eyes. Relief flooded the entire room.

"Everyone…" She started softly. "I'm sorry." Everyone was shocked, not understanding why **she** was apologizing. She had nothing to apologize for! "I blew it again…" She pulled the sheets over her face, but not entirely over her head, and everyone felt really bad.

"What are you talking about!? We took second place thanks to you, Lucy!" Gray told her, in which everyone quickly hummed in agreement, her team telling her about their points and how she did well, to try and help her feel a little bit better.

Lucy got out very silently a worried plea for her keys and Happy quickly passed them to her, everyone watching as she smiled in relief and gently took them from him, falling back asleep now that they were back in her possession. Everyone felt awful because she had done so well, but she had ended up so… injured. Suddenly, the door opened and closed, causing everyone to turn around. The Master had come in, looking fairly solemn about Lucy's condition, but also about something else.

"Team A and Team B… You're all here? Good." He stated with a serious expression. "I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news." Everyone kept silent, waiting for the unaligned news. "The administrators told me that both teams must combine."

"What!?" Natsu got out immediately, almost sounding offended.

"Teams A and B have to unite?" Laxus asked as if to confirm what the Master had said.

"Why?" Mira asked for all of them due to everyone being in shock from the sudden news.

"The disqualification of Raven Tail brings the number of teams down to seven, and having an odd number doesn't work when it comes to matching up for the battle part. Therefore, both of our teams must become one and we have to choose the five members again." Makarov explained, in which everyone let it sink in for a moment. They had to do this all over again?

"What about our points?" Carla asked a little frantically, in which Makarov averted his gaze to the ground and closed his eyes.

"Apparently, the lower score will carry over." He told them, in which they all frowned. That meant… Lucy's points…

"But if that's the administration's decision, there's nothing we can do about it." Erza sighed, in which Cana jumped in to try and bring up their spirits a little bit.

"Well, looking at the bright side, we'll be able to put together an even stronger team." She said.

"But even if we decide on five people here, the remaining events will all just be tag-team battles, right?" Gray asked, watching as Porlyusica shook her head a bit.

"No. I'm sure that between tomorrow's break and the final day, there will be a battle involving all five members." She told the group. They went into deep thought at that before Natsu stood up determinedly.

"I'm definitely gonna get revenge for Lucy!" He declared with no room for arguing. "I ain't gonna let 'em get away with laughin' at one of our own!"

There was no backing down from this, not now and not ever.

* * *

Seph managed to find her way back to the stands before too long and just in time for the match-up announcements, and to see the new Fairy Tail team all come out together. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Gajeel and Laxus took the field, all of the cheering shaking the very arena itself, and Seph couldn't have been more proud. Even with her episode from earlier making her a little tired, she wouldn't dare fall asleep on them because this was important. These were more than just games for them now.

The teams went back to their stands to wait their turn and watch their two members each participate, and the first tag-team battle that was announced was Ichiya and… the Rabbit? They were from Blue Pegasus and they were going up against Bacchus and Rocker from Quatro Puppy. There was a pause as the contestants entered the battlefield. Weirdly enough, Ichiya and the Rabbit offered to shake hands with Bacchus and Rocker before the match started, in which the two wild men accepted very hesitantly. Ichiya motioned for the Rabbit to take of its head and Seph couldn't help but get very interested in who exactly was in the suit, although she had to sit down because she was still a little bit dizzy from before.

"We'll finally find out who it really is!" Happy stated, everyone leaning forward in anticipation.

The Rabbit removed its head and… Seph was a little bit disappointed to see a weird-looking Exceed. Everyone else seemed very disappointed, some of the Fairy Tail members seeming to know the Exceed on the battlefield.

"Nichiya?!" Lily yelled in a sort of questioning way, seeming very bothered by the fact that… **that** exact Exceed was here. Happy couldn't even speak, he just let out a yell, and Seph didn't know what to do. She was… a little shocked, but she didn't know the Exceed very well, so…

She also really didn't want to hear the story of how Ichiya and Nichiya met, so she blocked that out by chatting with Levy quietly until the story was over, which it was quite obvious when it was because Bacchus has attacked Nichiya. Oh, yah… This was a battle. Seph had honestly nearly forgotten. Ichiya pretty much got beaten down to a pulp before standing back up, but Seph didn't get to see how he won because Lily had covered her eyes despite her struggling to try and get him to let her see. What was she to him, a child!? What happened with the fight!? From what she could hear, Ichiya had won in the two against one battle, but when Lily allowed her to have her sight back, the second match was starting. She gave him a very strong pout and he only crossed his arms over his chest with a disturbed look still plastered on his face.

They moved onto the second match pretty quickly, bringing forth Lyon and Yuka from Lamia Scale to fight against Kagura and Millianna from Mermaid Heel. After this match, it would be a battle between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth at last. All they could do was have faith in whoever was paired up… The time limit was thirty minutes as per usual and Kagura was going to hang back, leaving Millianna to fight on her own for as long as she was able to. Lyon tried to pull Kagura into the battle, but Millianna defended her and continued on with her attacks. They must have been really confident, one of theirs against two of Lamia Scale's…

Yuka made a quick decision to just fight back, but despite the speed of his attacks, Millianna was much faster. She created a fake-out attack in order to get close, punching Yuka multiple times over before scratching both Lyon and Yuka across the face with her nails. It made sense… maybe? Nonetheless, Millianna didn't stop there and went to attack again, but by then, Yuka had figured things out and used his wave to nullify her magic. Beforehand, they had been surprised by her quick, cat-like movements, but now that they had an idea of her power and such, they were able to figure out a couple of strategies to use against her.

After she had backed them into a corner, Lyon made a mouse out of ice… and Millianna actually ran after it, turning her back on her opponents. It was only for a moment, but it gave Lyon enough time to relax and come up with the idea to make a blizzard, chilling Millianna to the bone. They set out a kotatsu, somehow… and she disappeared under there for about a minute or so before throwing it, yelling at them for insulting her intelligence. They stood there for a moment before Lyon created a snow tiger to run after Millianna, who didn't pay too much attention to anything but running away from it and ended up crashing into one of the battlefield walls.

Seph didn't know whether to be impressed or to be dumbfounded by how this was going.

Kagura had to step in and Yuka attacked right away with a wave, but the problem with that… It worked well against people who were actually using magic. Kagura wasn't **using** magic; she was using her sword at the moment… Yuka's waves were useless if his opponent wasn't using a magic attack and Kagura ended up getting to him, knocking him down and leaving it as a one-on-one match between her and Lyon. She was an expert with a sheathed sword, huh… but why leave it sheathed? Perhaps it would be too much during the tournament if she had it unsheathed?

Kagura and Lyon had a conversation for about a minute before the man let out his first attack, Kagura being so fast that she moved through his dragonflies made out of ice to try and get to him and take him down. Lyon quickly brought out another attack, but by then, Kagura had made her way up to him and smashed his ice eagle whilst sending him flying backwards as well. However, he got to his feet as quickly as he could in order to summon a snow tiger once again, but this time, he also summoned a snow ape and a snow dragon of all things. All three of them went straight at Kagura, who jumped into the air to avoid being trampled even though she ended up being hit from left by the snow dragon anyways.

She didn't waste a moment as she altered gravity to lift Lyon and his creations up in the air, leaving them to her disposal. She cut through his ice creations and found herself above Lyon, who wasn't prepared as she came down to strike him… and he was saved by the bell. They had brought it to a draw, which was certainly lucky for Lyon because Kagura would have probably won if it wasn't for the time limit.

But, at long last, the time had come for the battle everyone had been waiting for due to many different reasons: Fairy Tail against Sabertooth.


	7. The GMG: Sabers vs Fairies

"I'm sure all of our viewers have been eagerly looking forward to this battle. A fateful showdown between the Guild that was called the strongest seven years ago and the current strongest Guild! Fairy Tail's Natsu and Gajeel versus Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue! All four of them are Dragon Slayers. All four possess anti-dragon magic. The dream Dragon Slayer showdown is finally happening!"

The tension in the air was something else entirely different from the cheering that followed. Of course it was because, after all, this was going to answer the question of who would win: a Fairy or a Tiger. All four Dragon Slayers were on the battlefield, ready to fight to the best of their abilities and knock each other down without mercy. The time limit was thirty minutes, as per usual… and so, let the match begin.

Despite Sting and Rogue making an effort to run forward and get in the first attack, Natsu and Gajeel had already gotten on it and brought in the first attack with simple, yet strong as heck, punches to each Sting and Rogue's faces.

The fight ensued from there, Sting attempting to catch both Natsu and Rogue with his roar, but missing the pair and leaving Rogue to try and slash at Gajeel, who blocked the Shadow Dragon Slayer without much trouble. Gajeel then threw Rogue nearly halfway across the arena, distracting Sting, and Natsu had grabbed Rogue from Gajeel's swing by the face, shoving him into Sting and knocking the Sabertooth Mages back with his flames. So far, so good, and Seph couldn't help but feel immensely proud of her Guildmates. They were strong and winning this, after all!

They seemed done with testing each other, though, and they looked like they were ready to actually get serious, which was a bit of a terrifying thought. Sting rushed forward nearly right away with rapid speed, swinging his fist straight at Natsu without a second to waste. Natsu held back the first one, but the second one that came at him hit him in the face and brought out a wince from Seph that she couldn't keep in. The punches kept going, Natsu helpless to stop them, and while Gajeel was distracted, Rogue kept him alert by moving around as a shadow. Gajeel couldn't grab him as a shadow, so he was at the mercy of Rogue's "Shadow Drive".

Gajeel and Natsu smashed into each other's backs and started squabbling in the middle of the match, which wasn't a good idea at all. Sting and Rogue had obviously used some sort of magic amplification technique, although Seph wasn't sure what kind they had used, and on top of that, their combination skills seemed… seamless. Sting somehow set Natsu in place, paralyzing him with his white magic, and Natsu struggled against it nonetheless while Gajeel finally managed to grab ahold of Rogue by his wrist.

Seph lost her attention for a moment when Levy wrapped her arms around Lily, running a hand over his head with pride in Gajeel and making her laugh a little bit.

Natsu gave a smile after a moment and then suddenly punched Sting, the tables having turned again. He had burned off the stigmata that kept him paralyzed and Gajeel followed his lead by pulling Rogue forward, smashing the boy's face into his elbow before kicking him into the wall at the same time Natsu had punched Sting into the wall. By then, Levy started to squeeze Lily and take his air away. Sting readied something, his magic making the pressure in the air almost incredible and hard to slip by… He was focusing his magic into a single point, making the arena so bright that it was hard to see, before throwing a punch at Natsu. For sure, you would think that, Natsu couldn't have dodged that and for sure, you would be right. He didn't dodge it… He caught Sting's fist to block out the magic.

Rogue made a jump for Gajeel, but the older black-haired Mage merely punched him away and even knocked him out of his Shadow Drive. As if following Sting and Rogue's movements from earlier, they smashed the Sabertooth Dragon Slayers together, back-to-back smashing, and then kicked them away at the same time before delivering multiple punches to their faces. The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth were helpless before Fairy Tail at that moment, down on their hands and knees and struggling to get back up…

They did get back up, though, and they released a power that most Dragon Slayers couldn't activate with their own will: **Dragon Force**. Sting even walked straight on forward, having Rogue hang back and declaring that, after all those beat-downs; he could take them on all by himself. He wasn't just all bark about it, though. With his Dragon Force, he had gained plenty of speed, going at a rapid pace and catching Natsu off-guard. His strength had doubled, maybe even tripled, and he had thrown back Natsu and Gajeel both within seconds of running up to them.

The Fairy Tail Mages fought back, throwing all the punches and kicks they possibly could, but Sting blocked them all without much trouble and the atmosphere had changed so much that it was totally different from before. Sting merely kicked Gajeel aside before grabbing Natsu's arm and chucking him at Gajeel, the both of them ending up on the ground with a smirking Sting over them. Sting's roar was stronger than before and the magic was nearly overwhelming, shaking the arena and the very souls of those inside of it. That was probably only because it was a battle between Dragon Slayers, but… It was still something **very** _ **big**_. It was to the point where the ground of the battlefield had caved in, the Dragon Slayers beneath the arena itself with Lacrima Vision screens having to be set up in order for the spectators to see what was going on and for the judge to be able to, well, judge.

Natsu still kept going even as he and Gajeel were falling, attacking Sting and managing to land a hit before Gajeel followed up right behind him, attacking Sting from behind and making his fall faster and much harsher. Sting seemed nearly unphased, though, and stood up without any trouble, continuing to fight the Fairy Tail Mages. They also continued to fight against him, but barely stood a chance as he kept landing hits and throwing them back harshly. Eventually, it ended up with Natsu and Gajeel on the ground and Sting above them once again.

Except this time, the Fairy Tail Mages didn't seem to be moving and Sting had his fist up in the air as if stating his victory. Seph couldn't help but let a few tears fall at the sight, knowing that they had tried their best and still come up short… Sabertooth was really going to get away with the things they had done… She had to cover her ears because of the people around her starting to yell at Natsu and Gajeel, telling them that they were stronger than this and to get up. Rogue joined Sting underground, both of their Dragon Forces having faded away by then. This didn't seem right… There was no official call…

There was no official call of Natsu and Gajeel being down because they got back up. They hadn't even been twitching before when they were on the ground, but now they were standing with no problem… although they did seem to be cracking their bones as if they were sore old people.

"Incredible, they're alive and kicking!"

Natsu said something that many people didn't seem to understand, but Seph did. He had seen through all of their habits, the both of them seemed to have done so, meaning their attack timing, their posture when they defended, even the rhythm of their breathing… It was a good strategic thing to do. He said as an example that when Sting attacked, his pivot foot was facing 11:00… but Gajeel argued that he was wrong and it was 10:00, starting up another squabble and even leading to physical arguing. But then, Natsu suddenly pushed Gajeel into a mine cart and the lever for the cart's brakes was pulled, removing the brakes and sending Gajeel riding into the mines below. Due to his motion sickness, he couldn't get out or continue yelling for very long… and Natsu looked proud of it. He intended on fighting Sting and Rogue alone!? He really had no **choice** now! He challenged the both of them on his own, and while shocked, the both of them obliged to his game, tapping into their Dragon Force once again.

Sting took a swing at Natsu, but the Fire Dragon Slayer blocked his hit and knocked him back with barely any trouble. Rogue took the opening to roar at Natsu, but Natsu roared back and overcame Rogue almost like it was simple. The Twin Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth weren't weak, but… Natsu seemed to just respond to stronger opponents by becoming more powerful than he already was. Even if it was two against one, he defended himself and managed to kick their asses every single little opening that he got to be able to do so. Both sides were definitely something…

The quality of Sting and Rogue's magic changed again as they put together a unison raid, a combined magic attack from two sides used to attack an opponent of any number, really. Their will, breathing and magic combined perfectly into one power, but… There were walls that power alone couldn't break through. There were walls that couldn't be broken through power alone, but if there was a power that can break through those walls, it would be… the power of feelings, perhaps.

Natsu had won against Sting and Rogue's United-Magic, after all, so simply with a Dragon Slayer Secret Art. Rogue fell first and then Sting followed him, having dropped to his knees before falling over and leaving Natsu as the last one standing.

And so ended the fourth day of the **Grand Magic Games** with Fairy Tail leaping into first place and the crowd cheering endlessly, and after one day off, they would all be back the day after with the final battle in place.

* * *

After the games, all of the Guild members ended up back in the bar from the previous nights, where Natsu and Gray almost immediately started to fight each other. Lucy had tried to stop them, but with Mira and the Master's inputs, Natsu and Gray kept going at it until Erza's slice of cake ended up destroyed, in which she grabbed both of them by their hair and smashed their heads together.

Gajeel finally made it back after awhile from when Natsu had thrown him down into the mines one a mine cart, most likely having triggered his motion sickness the whole way down. He took Natsu and Wendy somewhere, in which Carla, Happy, Lily, Lucy and Gray followed them, so Seph spent her time with Laxus and the Raijinshuu since Evergreen was back after hanging around the infirmary to watch over Elfman. It was much like the other times they had hung around after the days of the games, but Seph was much happier.

This Guild was a good one and it was making her happy by taking away her fears of having to go back to where she came from. She didn't **want** to go back, after all… She really wanted to stay out here, where she was free and with this friendly Guild called Fairy Tail.

"Are you okay?"

Seph jumped a little bit from being snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at Laxus and quickly nodding; even giving him a small smile to show that she was indeed okay. That was the first time it was true, that she was actually okay and could respond that she was okay after being asked if she was. It felt nice.

"I'm just thinking." She replied, gaining a stern nod from him as he went back to watching their Guildmates drink and run around like crazy people. Maybe they were crazy, but… Crazy was just as okay as Seph was right now. This wouldn't last forever, of course… so she wanted to enjoy it while she still could.

* * *

Seph was right about it not lasting long, as the group that had gone out came back frantically with the shocking news that Lucy had been captured by the Royal Army over some whole Eclipse Project thing that she didn't even agree to, yet they had let the others go. Natsu had to be tied to a post to be kept from running off and destroying said army in order to save Lucy. They had involved Lucy in a plan that all of them almost knew nothing about, after all, and promised to give Lucy back **only** if they won the **Grand Magic Games**. They didn't even know if they could trust that, either!

"Master…" Erza addressed urgently, seeing as things were quite complicated. The old man hummed in thought, lifting a hand to hold his chin.

"We can't act recklessly against the kingdom, but on the other hand, they can't afford to treat their citizens too shabbily either." He started off with a slight sigh in his voice. "Maybe we can think of her as a hostage who'll be kept until this Project Eclipse is cancelled." Laxus scoffed a bit.

"That's a pain in the ass." He stated for all of them, Seph feeling herself nod in agreement. She could easily imagine how Lucy felt all cooped up in a cell… Was it dark? Was it cold? Seph might never be able to know and that scared her the most, honestly.

"But that doesn't make sense." Gajeel argued, not confused but just… trying to figure things out. They all were. "Why would they let the rest of us go when we heard the same state secrets?"

"It's got nothin' to do with makin' sense!" Natsu yelled at him, in which Seph flinched and moved to Laxus' other side to be away from the yelling Mage.

"It's also possible we've been released as witnesses to eventually help convict Arcadios." Lily told them, and although it was a simple thought, Seph felt like there was more to it or like it just wasn't that exactly.

"Why?" Happy asked, looking a little sweaty. Perhaps he was far more worried about Lucy than he let off?

"When there's the danger of top secret information spreading…" Carla added, in which Erza crossed her arms over her chest in thought.

"Maybe they decided it can't be hidden any longer." She offered, but Gray stepped in.

"If they'd captured the whole lot of us, we wouldn't be able to leak info, right?" He questioned, but this was just making Seph more confused and more anxious for Lucy, leading her to grab onto Laxus' leg as if it was a lifeline.

"I don't know about that." Mira said, calming Seph down a little bit. At least she knew that someone else had doubts… "Gray, you and the others are participants in the **Grand Magic Games** , right? If you suddenly didn't appear tomorrow, people would take notice." That made a lot of sense.

"I don't think even the kingdom wants to make an enemy out of a wizard Guild." Juvia stated, in which Seph let out a small hum of agreement. The kingdom might've been strong and full of soldiers, but they only had a very small handful of magic users in their army.

"To us, it's ridiculous that Lucy's been taken captive, but it isn't a breach of the royal army's sense of justice." Erza explained with a sigh.

Just then, Natsu suddenly broke out of the ropes that had been binding him with a loud yell, making Seph flinch and cling to Laxus' leg even more whilst also put a hand over one of her ears.

"Enough jawin'! I'm gonna rescue her!" He declared loudly before Makarov enlarged his hand and smashed it down on top of Natsu to get him to be quiet. Seph appreciated it, even if it hadn't been for her sake.

"Stifle it!" Makarov ordered him, in which he immediately went quiet and stayed lying on the ground. "This ain't a festival where the whole family gets captured. We all feel the same way." They did, didn't they…? "This time, just charging ahead without thinking isn't gonna work. Still, we're not cowards who're gonna take it lying down either."

Seph wasn't that brave, honestly, but she didn't want Lucy stuck in a cell for too long… Jail cells were uncomfortable. She didn't like to fight, but… She could support people and really do so if she had to… so, she was going to help.

" **We're Fairy Tail**!"


	8. Nightmares, Anxiety & Fights

**A/N:** **Yo, peeps! I'm gonna be super busy for the weekend starting tomorrow unfortunately. Tomorrow I'm going to a carnival with some friends and getting a hair cut and then on Saturday is my Mom's baby shower, which is super exciting, but leaves me with no time to update, so I'm gonna update now! Please review your thoughts and comments, what you liked and what you didn't like, so I can know for future chapters!  
Thanks for sticking around, dudes!**

* * *

Seph hadn't meant to fall back into her nightmares by thinking about how Lucy felt locked up, but she had done so anyways. She fell straight back into dreaming of the one person who had hurt her most. She dreamt that he was hurting her again, touching her again, and he had full power over her without any consequences over what he was doing. She felt absolutely helpless as he had his way, paying no attention to her feelings and thus, giving her no mercy.

She began to tremble, fear clouding her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut like it would make the pain go away or maybe even make him stop, but it did neither of those things. _Go away!_ Seph cried, but her voice failed to make words in favor for sobbing over something she couldn't stop. She could feel him again, his hands roaming her body, and she couldn't stop crying. She cried out for her family, but they weren't there to aid her. She cried out for anyone—just **someone** to help her. Don't let him touch her! Don't let him hurt her! Don't let him, don't let him, don't let him—

"Seph?"

Seph let out a gasp past her sobs, quickly sitting up and clutching at her chest because her breathing was in pieces. She let out a cough as she focused on the blurry bed sheets beneath her, someone at her side and rubbing her back to comfort her as her coughing turned back into sobbing.

"It's okay. It was just a dream, it's over now." They spoke soothingly to her. Seph just couldn't stop shaking, though, the image of that person almost glued into her mind.

"What's going on?" Another voice asked as another one groaned, sounding like they had woken up.

The lights suddenly flickered on, reminding Seph of the harsh mornings where she was woken up at five in the morning instead of 4:30 because she was so tired from the night before. She was always dragged, not given a second to breathe. She couldn't breathe right now, oh God, she couldn't breathe.

She gagged as she tried to breathe and covered her mouth with a hand in the hopes that she wouldn't throw up, but she had never been lucky until she found an opening to escape, and then she was taken in by Fairy Tail. Somehow, someone had managed to get the trash can over to her before she threw up, saving her from throwing up all over the bed unlike how it used to go back then. No one was angry at her for this, not like the others used to be…

Seph leaned back, breathing heavily, and someone continued to rub her back to keep her comforted.

"That bad, huh…?" A different voice asked, in which Seph didn't answer. She couldn't, really, not when she was still having trouble breathing and she was still crying. The bed sheets were going to get damp and they would get mad…

Another hand, a bigger one, found its place over the other hand on her back.

"Hey, it's alright…" A new voice told her, but she recognized that one. That was Laxus' voice. She shook her head, though, not believing him. She was so stupid, thinking that she could stay…

"Y-You're… g-going to t-take m-me b-b-back…" She accused with a sob, pulling her knees to her chest. She had woken up everyone in the room… That wasn't a good thing, they didn't like it when she screamed, she was going to get hurt again… "Y-You're g-g-g-going t-to take m-me b-b-back… t-to J-J—… T-To J-J-Julian…

"… Julian?" The first voice asked, sounding confused. Seph recognized it as Lily's. She had woken him up first, so he was obviously mad, wasn't he…? Nonetheless, she found himself leaning on his shoulder because she was too weak to stay upright by herself at the moment.

"Was he… the one who hurt you?" Laxus asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was. Seph went silent apart from her sobs for a moment, which were slowing down.

"… H-He's… Era-astos tr-trusts him a-a-and l-likes h-him…" She replied softly, giving them another name that they didn't recognize. "… D-Do I l-l-like h-him? I… I-I did… b-but h-he is-isn't n-nice…"

"… What did he do, Seph?" Laxus asked, his deep voice soft and cautious, yet also very concerned.

Seph paused again, shivering a little bit before frantically shaking her head, only stopping when Lily leaned her against him again due to noticing that she had been falling back after sitting upright to shake her head. She was overwhelmed and flustered, and tears were building up in her eyes again.

"H-He's c-co-oming…" She whispered, holding her heads in her hands. "D-Don't let hi-hi-im t-take m-me! I- d-don't… w-want to g-go b-back…!"

"Hey, it's okay." Laxus promised her, gently taking her from Lily and lying back down with her.

He had motioned for Lily to grab a book from the side table drawer, in which the Exceed did so and passed it to him, and he flipped it open to a bookmarked page. Whenever Seph had a nightmare, Laxus would be able to put her back to sleep by reading to her. In desperate times, he would sing to her, but there was no way that he was going to sing in a room full of people who know him as a tough person. Seph stopped crying as he started to read, using his shoulder as a pillow and allowing Lily to pull the covers over her again before he lied down beside her, off of Laxus. She stared at the pages of the book even as he flipped to the next couple pages, exhaling slowly as her tears dried up and she started to fall back asleep.

The moment she was asleep, for sure, Lily put the book back for Laxus and Mira turned off the lights after the people in the room had a small conversation, all of them falling back asleep with an unsettling feeling.

* * *

 **July 6** **th** **, the final day of the Grand Magic Games…**

Seph felt much better after last night, not remembering what exactly had happened or what was said, but remembering that she had a bad nightmare and woke everyone up. She really didn't want to miss out on the last day of the **Grand Magic Games** , where Fairy Tail was sure to win, but she had made a promise to Laxus that she would help the others break Lucy out while he won the tournament with the team. He promised to tell her all about it later, after all, so she couldn't say no. She didn't really **want** to say no. She felt like she was being useful by joining Natsu, Mira, Wendy, Happy and Carla in rescuing Lucy. She knew that the Raijinshuu would cheer extra hard for her.

With all of the faraway, roaring cheers coming from the direction of the arena, it sounded like the final battle of the **Grand Magic Games** was starting. The plan was that while everyone was absorbed in the tournament, they would rescue Lucy because they didn't know if they could trust the kingdom to release her or not.

"But how can we sneak into the palace without getting caught?" Wendy asked the one question that they had all been pondering for some time now. Happy had promised that he had a good idea, but his idea turned out… bad. It was too suspicious, so Mira took over and that was how Seph found herself squished between Carla and Lily, Happy sitting on their heads and not on hers only because she was shorter than all three of them. Bless being short right now…

They managed to get past the guards and into the dungeon to find Lucy, managing to find Yukino as well. Seph didn't like being down there, but she couldn't stay alone. Upon finding the pair of girls, Seph found herself clinging to Mira's leg because she knew her best after Lily, Happy and Carla slipped through the cell bars to get in and see Lucy and Yukino. Seph didn't want to go in and Mira didn't mind the Exceed attached to her leg, so once they got Lucy and Yukino out of the cell and gave Lucy a switch of clothing, all was ultimately well… until the floor opened and they all went tumbling down.

Seph lost her grip on Mira's leg and ended up falling straight onto the pile of Lucy, Wendy, Mira, Yukino and Natsu to soften her fall, although the rocky ground was still painful.

"What the hell is this…?" Natsu asked as they all stood up, Seph having to search for her jacket for a second before finding it and wrapping it around her waist. She had taken it off to try and use it as a parachute, but… gravity was hella strong.

" **Welcome to Hell Palace.** " A voice suddenly said, making all of them jump although Seph jumped much more. She was the more skittish one of the group, it was confirmed. " **You fell right into the trap.** " A trap…? " **Look around you. This is the capital of death, Hell Palace. It's the final freedom, where all criminals end up. However, no one has ever gotten out.** "

Seph only looked around halfway before clinging to the nearest person out of fear, which just happened to be Lily. His arm was hers now; there was no getting it back. A Lacrima Vision screen appeared above them, revealing a pair of guards with a girl who had green hair and hazel green eyes.

" **Rot down there, rebels!** "

"Who the hell are you!?" Natsu demanded, raising his fist to the screen. The girl merely stood there, absolute in her actions… She was sending them to their deaths, she said it herself!

" **I'm Hisui E. Fiore, the princess of the kingdom of Fiore!** " She told them, her face not inching from its frowning position. Natsu started to freak out, far behind Seph as she had started that long ago.

"Dammit! Where's the friggin' exit?!" He yelled, making Seph flinch from his loud voice. She really wanted to get out of here, too, but there was no point in yelling his head off… especially not when the princess cut off the video feed and left them on their own.

"I can't see an entrance, let alone the exit." Lily stated as he put a hand over one of Seph's to try and help keep her calm. It didn't really help, honestly, because they were all trapped. Here she went, getting trapped all over again when she said that she wouldn't!

"What should we do!?" Wendy asked, starting to follow with freaking out.

* * *

Seph wasn't sure how long they had been walking, but her feet were starting to get tired. Everything looked the same, so there was no telling if they were going in circles or not. It was lucky that the cave was big or else Seph would be freaking out a lot more, but it still felt like she was suffocating due to the walls seeming to be trying to close in on her. They only stopped for a moment because Happy had scared Lucy by putting a skull on his head, bringing their attention to all of the other skulls that were lying around. Bones weren't really **that** scary, huh?

"Well, this **is** the capital of death… I guess I could say." Lily sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling Seph a little bit because she refused to let go of his arm just yet.

"Princess Hisui said this is the final freedom, where all criminals end up." Carla reminded them, which made Seph's grip on Lily's arm tighten. He let out a painful squeak, uncrossing his arms, but Seph was too distracted to apologize to him.

"She said we wouldn't get outta here, but gimme a friggin' break." Natsu complained with his hands on his hips. Seph couldn't help herself, she was scared… She was **always** scared, no matter what. It was just in her nature to be anxious and paranoid. "Just for that, we're definitely gonna get out. I'm fired up."

Seph paused before taking a deep breath. Everything that had an entrance, view able or not, had to have an exit somewhere, no matter how big or small. She knew that pretty well… but, apparently, the others didn't. They had split up for a bit to search for a clue, but there was nothing. Natsu, Lucy and Wendy looked absolutely destroyed while Mira just kind of sat off to the side, crying.

""Hell" is the right word for this place." Lily stated as he took a seat, Seph having finally gathered up the courage to let go of his arm. She didn't stray too far, honestly, as she was still deeply anxious.

Happy came up with the idea to lure some soldiers down, because maybe they were watching them, but when it came to **how** they were going to lure them down, Natsu and Happy went all Fairy Tail style… which was being ridiculous. They told Lucy to _**strip**_ , even showing off magazines of Lucy and Mira posing in swimsuits. It had been for work of course, but still… They got the magazines off of old skeletons, too! They were **Weekly Sorcerer** 's from about seven years ago, and that caught Seph's attention for some reason. She found an old comic book over by the scattered magazines and Lily… well, he found a journal.

"There's a journal." Lily told them, starting to read from it. ""It's been three years since I was shut up in here. As I wait for the end, these cheesecake photos soothe my mind."" He went pale as he read the last bit, everyone losing their hope at getting out due to this weird, old skeleton's thoughts. ""Mira-tan is cute. Losing consciousness as Mira-tan gazes at me from the page… Together with Mira-tan…""

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm suddenly starting to get scared." Carla stated firmly, gaining a couple of hums in agreement.

"That guy didn't even mention Lucy." Natsu suddenly pointed out, in which Lucy started yelling.

"What do I care?! I shouldn't even make a comment!" Lucy yelled angrily, and Seph couldn't help but let out a snort. God, if the other ones weren't ugly, that one was…

"Then let's do this thing! I call it "Appeal to Men's Instincts! Operation: Cheesecake Escape"!" Happy declared. Seph could've sworn there was a drum roll somewhere…

"I'm fired up!" Natsu yelled excitedly. "Let's go, Lucy!"

"I'm gonna do it!?" She tried to argue, but Mira had already changed into a swimsuit… somehow…

"I'll support you!" Mira reassured her, already posing cutely and even winking.

"You're too into it!"

Seph didn't even know what was going on, so she stayed out of it alongside Wendy and Yukino, her face more heated than it probably should've been. This was the Fairy Tail style, huh…? This was ridiculous and yet, somehow, funny. Even so, that operation failed and they were basically back to square one. Natsu ended up getting so hungry that he basically collapsed, although he sat back up when he realized that he was upsetting Wendy. Nothing in here looked edible… Maybe Seph could grow something, somewhere…

"Will we end up eating… _you know_?" Lily asked, throwing Seph off a little bit.

"That's scary talk, so stop it!" Lucy yelled at him frantically.

Even the ceiling was sealed off, according to Happy and Carla… but being with everyone else somehow made her feel at ease, despite the circumstances. Seph closed her eyes for a moment, searching the ground for any source of… oh, hey, food. She took a couple of steps to get closer, focusing her magic on the spot and managing to grow whatever she could salvage for the seed that was left behind. It wasn't much… just a couple of blackberries…

"That's so cool!" Natsu suddenly yelled, making her jump and trip over her own feet. He immediately rushed forward, starting to eat the berries from the bush that… really didn't have any leaves. That seed had been there for a long time. "Whaf kind of mafif if thaf?" Natsu's mouth was full of berries by then…

"U-U-Um…" Seph stuttered, taking a couple of steps away and rubbing at her arm a bit. It felt a little itchy… What could she tell him? "J-Just… s-so-omething…"

"Whatever it is, it's pretty helpful. For Natsu, at least…" Lucy stated, in which Seph felt her cheeks heat up as she shook her head. It wasn't, not really. Not right now, with her being so anxious and secretive…

* * *

After more walking and a talk between Yukino and Natsu, where she thanked him over something Seph didn't know had happened, the underground started to rumble, rocks falling from the ceiling and the ground shaking from underneath their feet. Carla found a crevice a little bit ahead, somewhere that had cracked open from the rumbling, and they would've been just small enough to fit through. Lucy had a bit of trouble, having Natsu help with pulling her out, but otherwise they had gotten through pretty much okay.

However, after a moment, Wendy had managed to find someone over the small ledge they were standing on… it was a man and he looked quite injured for some reason. It was like he had been attacked… Apparently, he was the Arcadios she had been hearing about every now and then. He had been dropped in there like they were, except they weren't injured like he was. It didn't take long for him to open his eyes, although he seemed to be suffering immense pain.

"Run…" He choked out, bringing them all into a state of confusion.

Wendy started to heal him, but a voice sounded from behind and they were swung at. Natsu grabbed Arcadios and they all quickly moved out of the way, Carla having to grab at Seph's wrists and pull her a bit so she moved quickly enough. She had been caught off-guard by that… acid! However, after the first man, another one showed up, using some sort of… water magic, perhaps? Seph didn't know, all she knew was that they had all gotten caught up in it and she ended up in a pile with Happy on the bottom, Lily underneath her, and Carla on top of her.

A horrifying plant grew up behind them and confetti papers flew around the air, revealing two women. Seph had read about this, but she didn't think it was true… an independent unit that supported the kingdom of Fiore from the shadows… they were the kingdom's strongest executioners, the Garou Knights.

A moment of silence passed before Natsu suddenly started bursting out laughing, confusing all of them once again. At a time like this, really…?

"Oh, sorry, but these losers don't look anything like knights!" Natsu pointed out and from her defensive stance before, Seph found herself standing normally. That… was true.

"Their outfits don't match at all…" Wendy added shamefully. Seph shouldn't have, but she found herself letting out a small snort, much like the one from earlier. It earned her a glare or two, but she actually **didn't care** for once. Maybe she was just getting into the Fairy Tail mind-set…

"Don't be fooled by their appearance!" Arcadios warned them, gaining their attention. "The magic they use is designed to kill people!" That… might have struck a nerve with Seph, but she didn't want to let her guard down by thinking too much and having an episode.

Nonetheless, the others got ready to fight, Yukino and Lucy leading Arcadios away because they didn't have their keys and he was injured badly. Lily had told her, Happy and Carla to step back as well, but Seph didn't really want to. She had magic that she could use to fight… Why shouldn't she fight!? So, she ignored Lily and took her spot at his side, able and ready. She was Laxus' partner, she couldn't soil his name by being weak in front of some executioners whether they were the kingdom's strongest or not. The women stepped forward first, which made Natsu a little mad and he declared that he could take them both on by himself. Their names were Cosmos and Kamika…

Natsu was an idiot, giving the fire papers more fire to mess with and then allowing them to punch him down after saying that he was going to **eat** them… His element wasn't paper, fire or not! Wendy joined him to give him support, blowing the papers and the fire away with her roar. It was better to wait and see what the other side did first before attacking… The one with the hat, Cosmos, controlled plants, but Happy was wrong when he said that Seph controlled plants as well. She didn't… She just… Her magic was… _**unique**_.

Kamika blocked their sight with yellow paper, bright light, and then Cosmos grabbed Wendy and Natsu with her plants. They seemed to be in a tight spot, but they got themselves out of it as soon as possible and managed to take a stand once again. However, the lead of the knights, it seemed, sent in his two men. Mira and Lily immediately took off and Seph was torn for a moment before summoning her wings and flying after Lily. He might've needed a little more support than Mira…

Uosuke and Neppa were their names, and Uosuke used an attack that threw all of them back much like before, giving Neppa time to go after Lily. He swung his fist cloaked in Acid Magic at Lily, but Seph managed to focus and make a shield out of light to repel it pretty well.

"That was a damn powerful force!" Lily yelled when he got his feet on the ground, the pressure from Uosuke's attack having dismissed Seph's wings and bringing her to stand on the ground again as well. Mira had ended up with them because of Uosuke, but that was honestly quite alright with Seph. "Thank you for blocking that, Seph."

"I-It wasn't a pr-problem…" Seph replied, rubbing at her arm again.

"We can't let ourselves get close to him!" Mira told them, in which Seph hummed a bit and gave her a nod. Neppa merely laughed down at them, though.

They got a little distracted by Cosmos catching Wendy in a carnivorous plant, in which Mira took the job of going to go and save Wendy, leaving Seph and Lily behind again to deal with Neppa. Well, this was great…

"Don't count your chickens!" Neppa laughed at them, in which Lily raised his sword. Seph felt dumb for not recognizing Lily's battle form before, but didn't dwell on it.

"Come and get me with your colors!" Lily challenged, and Seph swallowed heavily while getting into a defensive stance all over again.

"I-I'll support you…!" She told him, gaining a stern nod in response although Neppa had come flying at him. He merely blocked with his sword, kicked Neppa in the stomach to stun him and then knocked him back with his elbow. He could do well on his own, but Seph couldn't help but worry… especially since Cosmos aimed for Lucy, Yukino and Arcadios.

"Seph, switch!" Lily suddenly yelled to her, catching her off-guard for a moment before she realized that she was taking over with fighting Neppa whilst he went to help the two women and the man. She only had to block and dodge, so it wasn't too hard even for her size until Lily got back. "Thank you. It seems like we have an all-out battle now."

Seph paused before quickly nodding, feeling a sudden overwhelming happiness that he trusted her with that… and with standing at his side like she was equal to him. She had obviously gotten distracted, as the next thing she knew, little purple confetti papers were sticking to her and paralyzing her. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't get them off or move. Cosmos grew a huge, carnivorous plant, which started to suck them in since they couldn't move properly, but Wendy managed to heal them of the Anomalous Conditions magic and Natsu, Mira and Lily teamed up to destroy the plant since they were already in the air. Seph had managed to ground herself, almost literally, and only found herself flying off when the plant was destroyed and the explosion was too strong for her to think properly.

The next moment, she found herself being pulled out of a pile of rocks by Lily, the both of them having been separated from the rest of the group from the explosion and Neppa was somehow still with them. Gosh, Seph would need to wash up later or something… She was covered in dust and dirt from the rubble… and she needed to stop getting distracted, Lily was fighting without her.

"Magic acid is a pain in the ass. I can't defend against it with my sword!" Lily complained, looking a little more beat up than before. This wasn't too good, huh…

"My acid can melt anything! Soon enough, that sword will be a puddle!" Neppa declared before Lily suddenly grabbed Seph and made a mad dash to a hiding spot. What was he doing!? "You don't know when to give up! But prepare yourself… for execution!"

Lily threw her over his shoulder, making a motion along the lines of "hold on tight" before rushing back out and trying to swing down at Neppa with his sword from behind, but the human man somehow dodged it. It was hard for Seph to hold on, but she managed to do so no matter how many sudden movements Lily made.

"Even when you're at a disadvantage, you should use it to your advantage!"

Lily had **almost** hit Neppa, but the man made a counter attack very quickly and threw the both of them back, Seph ending up finally losing her grip and ending up on the ground not too far from where Lily had landed. This wasn't good… They'd actually get executed at this point…

Her point was made when she and Lily had to dodge again, but Lily got caught up in it and went flying back-first into a wall that cracked under the pressure of his body.

"Lily!" She yelled out without thinking, rushing over to him and starting to use her healing magic. She wouldn't be able to for long, but she had to as much as she could… just before Neppa attacked again.

"You're a tough couple of kitty-cats; the perfect punching bags!" Neppa told them, which made Lily scowl as he got to his feet again ever so slowly despite Seph trying to keep him seated for at least a moment longer.

"We're not kitty-cats. We're Exceeds!" Lily countered, getting to his feet with Seph still at his side.

"You lost me." Neppa said. At least he was honest… "But you must've been a soldier before, huh? That's the vibe I get, from you anyways. From the lady…" He seemed to pause, which sent shivers up and down Seph's spine. What **about** her…? "I don't get much of a vibe except for a strong sense of magic and redemption."

"In any case, what are you gonna do about it?" Lily asked defensively, raising his sword to get ready to strike again.

"It seems like you've both got an obstinate streak. I'm gonna melt that resolve, too!" Neppa responded, in which Seph let out a small "tsk" for the first time in years before Lily went charging forward once again.

"Give it your best shot!" He yelled, seeming absolute at **not** letting that happen. However, he only got so far before being thrown back, landing in quite a painful position on the ground nearby Seph. She didn't hesitate to run over, but he put up a hand to tell her not the heal him. Why not!?

"Hey, what's wrong? There's nothing my acid can't melt! Or there shouldn't be…" Neppa laughed as Lily dug his sword into the ground and got to his feet again. Even with the little support she was giving him, Seph felt useless… "You're getting up again! It'll totally be worth melting you and your little girlfriend!"

Seph felt her cheeks heat up, glancing up at Lily quickly to see that his cheeks had gone a little pink again, before returning her gaze to Neppa and shaking her head. It wasn't like that, oh gosh, it really wasn't like that! She and Lily were friends, **friends** , dang it!

"When it comes to trash-talk, you're second-rate." Lily insulted, managing to straighten up once again. He honestly was a soldier, it showed… "During a battle, the more someone blabs, drunk on their own power, the weaker they actually are."

"You're just as long-winded as I am." Neppa told him, but Lily didn't back down. Seph trusted everything Lily said, but she actually… hadn't known that before. It actually relaxed her anxious soul a little bit, even as she thought back on things, because all of them… They always blabbed about their power, so were they weak mentally maybe? Because, physically… Seph had witnessed quite the opposite.

"You melt things that either have no will or are weak-willed. In other words, you can only beat things that are weaker than you. I'm not so weak that I'd lose against someone like that." Lily explained, making Seph actually feel much more protected. He would win, wouldn't he? He definitely wasn't weak.

"I like you!" Neppa laughed, readying his magic again. "And since you put it that way, playtime is over! I'll melt you both in an instant and leave no trace behind!"

Neppa immediately attacked, in which Seph moved to shield them, but the magic from their opponent pushed against her shield and pushed the both of them back into the rocks.

"You can't dodge this, can you? This execution technique, multi-angle acid, is invincible!" Neppa boasted, and Seph got up as quickly as she could, Lily falling behind her.

"… I've just about hit the limit of my battle mode. At this rate…" Lily muttered, worrying Seph a little. She could restore health, but not magic power…

Nonetheless, Lily took a stand and stood on his own two feet without needing her help once again, showing that he wouldn't back down yet, probably not ever. He motioned to her to move back and without questioning it, she moved a couple of feet back to watch him slice straight through Neppa's acid with his sword and attack Neppa head-on, managing to end the fight. Seph paused for a moment before smiling widely and letting out a cheer of relief, really, because the fight was over and they were both okay. It felt like it had been really close, but it also felt like… they had been fine the entire time.

Through the broken wall they climbed and happened to come face-to-face with the others, in which Seph gave am even bigger smile. They were okay!

Now, it was time to get out of here **together**.


	9. Protect the Future

**A/N:** **A little bit of a fast-paced chapter, sorry about that.**

* * *

"We keep going, but it all looks the same. It throws off your sense of direction, too."  
"In fact, is this really the right way?"  
"I can feel a slight breeze. I think we're good."

Seph rubbed the exhaustion out of her eyes as the others talked, looking around a bit only to find the same walls, ceiling and floor they had been stuck with for… who knows how long now. She wondered if the games were already over, who had won although she had complete faith in her partner and his team, and just how much longer they were going to be stuck down here before they got out. Gosh, she wanted to just go back to the hotel and pass out as soon as possible after getting out…

"We keep proceeding downwards."  
"We have no idea how deep this place is."  
"It's so big; they could build another town down here."  
"Here!?"

Yah, a town down here… That didn't seem like a good idea with all of the dead, skeletal bodies and easily crumbling ceiling. It would take a lot of hard work and a couple of years to clear it out and then start making a map as they built, but… Seph knew that she wouldn't want to live down here, so who else would?

"I smell something!" Natsu suddenly cheered as they went down a slanted path, which calmed Seph's mind a little bit. She really didn't want to be in here anymore.

"It seems we're close to the exit." Wendy said, a small sigh of relief escaping from between her lips. So, then, at least now they knew that the leader of the executioners was telling the truth after he and his team were defeated and questioned.

Not much longer afterwards, they happened to come across a door that was more than likely the exit. It looked a lot bigger than it had to be and certainly very sturdy, which seemed… necessary, she supposed. Natsu went to attack it in order to get it opened, but it suspiciously opened on its own and at first, they believed that it might be an ambush… but it wasn't. A single person stood at the door, wearing a hooded cloak that cover up their face fairly well, but their voice wasn't hidden a single bit. Although Seph didn't know her voice well, she knew it well enough to only be caught half off-guard when this person removed their hood.

This was another Lucy, somehow…

She used the Eclipse to come back from the future, that's what she said… before she collapsed unexpectedly, at least. Natsu picked her up, declaring that they weren't going to just leave her there and that they were taking her with the before starting to walk, and Yukino and Wendy said something about leaving the palace and firing the flare they had been given. It would let the others know that Lucy was successfully rescued, but…

Why would Lucy come from the future all of the sudden…?

There were at least a couple more doors along the way to get them out and even then, they were still left wandering the halls almost aimlessly. They had a reason to get out, it was just… **where** were they going to get out? No one came across knowing due to them all getting lost and ending up in what seemed to be the palace's dining hall, all of them unsure of where to go from there. Natsu suggested just ploughing through some soldiers, but between the facts of the **Grand Magic Games** being a kingdom-sponsored event and that they had injured people with them, they decided against it. Although… with how they took down the executioners, it might have been too late.

"Maybe we should have gone a little easier on them. If you think about it, it's not like they're especially bad people." Happy told them. That was true, but…

"Well, we couldn't afford the luxury of saying that at the time." Carla reminded him, in which Lily crossed his arms over his chest.

"We didn't put anyone out of commission permanently. They'll probably be waking up any time now." He said, but that threw Seph off a bit. If they didn't move fast enough, the executioners might regain their magic and strength enough to come after them again… fighting inside the actual palace wouldn't go over well, as the army would most likely get involved alongside their executioning team and then things would just suck.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the future Lucy stirred from her unconscious state, taking a moment to sit up and examine her surroundings.

"Are you okay, future Lucy?" Happy asked, but she either didn't hear him or was too confused to answer him.

"Where am I?" She asked. They didn't really know, honestly… They didn't want to make any assumptions, but at the same time, she was probably more confused than they were.

"It looks like the palace dining hall…" Seph mumbled after Lily replied for them that they, in fact, didn't know where they were. There were plenty of doors to go through, but they just didn't know which one.

"So we're still in the palace…" Future Lucy sighed, holding a hand to her head. "According to my memory… after escaping from Hell Palace, we're all captured by imperial soldiers." They were…? But they had beaten the executioners, how could imperial soldiers capture them so easily? "I came rushing back here so I could warn us beforehand… but all I can say is that we were unlucky."

Seph felt like a bad luck charm. Ever since she joined Fairy Tail, bad things just seemed to keep on happening as if to mock her about the bad things that had happened to her alone.

"And until that time came, we were in a prison." Future Lucy finished explaining, confusing all of them.

""That time"?" Happy asked, making her go silent as she stared at her lap. What was "that time"…? Was she talking about the reality that she had **experienced**? Even though Natsu and Mira seemed so sure that the plain old Royal Army soldiers couldn't capture them, Seph didn't feel too sure anymore…

"We get close to Eclipse while we're on the run. Because of that, we can't use our magic and all get thrown into the dungeon." Future Lucy explained, leaving no room for argument. Eclipse took away magic power, they already knew that…

"Our future selves sure are careless, huh?" Natsu chuckled with his arms crossed, obviously not getting the severity of the situation. This Lucy didn't just come back from the future to have fun and kick back, there was something she had come back to warn them about.

"Um, why did you come from the future, Lucy-san?" Wendy asked her softly, all of them watching as the future Lucy started to shake from the simple question.

"In order to change a terrible future…" Future Lucy replied just as softly.

"What happened in your future?" Yukino asked cautiously, future Lucy starting to shake a little more as she opened her mouth to tell them.

"… Despair awaits in the very near future. A swarm of more than 10, 000 dragons will attack this country. The city is burned down. The palace is destroyed. Many lives are lost." Future Lucy explained firmly with no shaking in her voice no matter how much her body was shaking from telling them.

They all simply froze upon hearing that, none of them even sure how to react for a moment and sitting in plain shock at the state of their future. Natsu was the one to react first.

"What… the hell… is that!?" He yelled at the top of his lungs, Happy screaming alongside him.

It was loud enough to pull Seph out of her shock, her hands immediately going to her ears to try and block out their voices. They were going to gather attention being that loud! This was, to put it lightly and simply, unbelievable. How was that possible? Where would they come from? Was it even **possible** for them to be lying in wait without being discovered?

"Anyway, we gotta stop wastin' time here and prepare for war!" Natsu told them, putting on a helmet and holding a bunch of double-sided spears that were used for fences out of nowhere. There was no point in asking where he got them from…

"We're going to fight!?"  
"That'd be impossible!"

"Everyone… You believe me?" Future Lucy asked, the disbelief in her tone nearly taking over. Natsu was worried that it was a lie for merely a second before future Lucy dismissed that thought. "I didn't think anyone would believe something like this." There was a pause before Natsu spoke again.

"Why would we doubt your words, Lucy?" He asked as if it was something unthinkable, in which the future Lucy paused in shock before looking down and letting a small smile pull at her lips. Lucy scolded her future self at having more trust in her friends, which was something you wouldn't ever think of telling someone out of context. Imagine doing that, just randomly bringing up "I scolded my future self, legitimately while they were in front of me". Most people would think of it as a metaphor, honestly.

"Hey, what happened to us in the palace when the dragons came?" Carla suddenly asked, bringing the future Lucy to look down at the ground again, but this time, she wasn't smiling.

"… Carla, I'll take a guess. Maybe we…" Wendy trailed of, Natsu picking up for her.

"… D-Died…?" He asked, having no answer. They died…?

"I don't remember how many days passed. When I came to, I remembered Eclipse. I didn't know how to activate it, but I opened the Gate by instinct. I had faith in the possibility of going back in time." Future Lucy explained, regaining her senses from the questioning of what had happened to her friends. "And then I really did go back to the past. July 4th, x791."

That was so recent. With Eclipse, was it only possible to go back to the recent past? But, wasn't the plan Arcadios had was to go back four hundred years in the past and defeat Zeref…? Future Lucy told them that part of it was broken, so maybe that was why, but they were still unsure about it.

"There are Lacrimas placed all throughout the city to film the **Grand Magic Games**. I want you to go underground to meet up with Jellal and his comrades." Future Lucy advised, catching them off-guard a bit. Jellal was involved…? Seph still didn't even know what to think of Jellal, considering that he pretty much just disappeared after the third day of the **Grand Magic Games**. "I told him everything. I'm sure he's developing a strategy right now." Developing a strategy…? "I'm sorry. I didn't come from the future with an answer. I don't know how to keep all of this from happening."

Why was she apologizing? She had given them a heads up, so now they could work their way out of the Palace safely and set up a plan to fight against the dragons before they arrived. They could do something now. Natsu reassured her about that and then helped her up, all of them ready to continue on and get out of the Palace as soon as possible.

* * *

Future Lucy most likely studied the underground passages to get them past the Royal Army because she was leading them through as if they weren't long and twisting, with every turn pulling back into a circle. Everyone must've been worried about them… They needed to get out and send up a flare to let them know that they were okay. However unexpectedly, the Royal Army was stationed out of place according to future Lucy, the group getting cut off by a large group of soldiers coming down the hall after them. Wendy suddenly informed them that Arcadios wasn't with them anymore, and neither was Yukino. Mira suddenly split off from them, going back to find Yukino on her own.

They were separated. But, as long as they could use their magic, then they would turn out fine. These were just plain old soldiers, after all, who couldn't use magic like they could.

They were fine, fighting their way through without much trouble except for the fact that they were out-numbered by the Royal Army soldiers. They ploughed through them before getting cut off by the anti-magic unit, including the kingdom of Fiore's… strongest magic soldier…? He went bowling over his allies before being taken out by Natsu easily, which was… an experience that was for sure! They just had to continue fighting after that, there was no point in dwelling on it… There were just so many soldiers!

"It'll be okay, right? After all, we have magic…" Carla trailed off, looking a bit unsure.

Seph didn't know how to reply, she didn't even know if she should've been fighting and she was just so… out of it. She was especially out of it when the executioners from earlier pushed in, putting them at a low chance of escape again. These guys were pesty, but neither side could give up on their goals and that was fairly understandable. The Royal Army soldiers just became support from the sides, verbally, as the executioners took over the fighting and honestly, it was a little dumb. How did they get by like this…?

The Royal Army soldiers did come across to try and help the executioners, but with numbers… Seph managed to find a tree from outside and bring it through the window, knocking the soldiers into the wall alongside Lily who had gotten the ones she missed. She was still out of it, but she was trying her best to focus. They couldn't fail here, not after coming so far. Lily got caught up with an executioner, however, so Seph didn't really know what to do. She was on-edge, just doing her best to keep the soldiers away from her friends because the executioners were already enough for them to be dealing with.

Their numbers just weren't decreasing, though! They were completely surrounded and it was getting absolutely tiring, blow after blow. Natsu kept saying that they were going to break through and that they should almost be at the exit, but none of them knew that for sure. It was probably almost night time… The **Grand Magic Games** were probably over by then and they **really** had to get out of the Palace to tell everyone that they were okay, and all about the dragons and stuff… They couldn't be stuck in the palace when "that time" comes around, not again like future Lucy had told them about before.

Even more reinforcements ended up coming up behind them, yelling as they came to fight. They wouldn't be able to hold out at this rate! Lucy's Celestial Spirit told her that the enemy side far out-numbered hers and Lily hit his limit for his battle form, which meant that they were certainly in trouble. Natsu got miffed and continued going, yelling that **he** was going to be the one executioning and Seph had to get between Lily and the executioner Mira had nicknamed Kama earlier before the escaped the Hell Palace, creating a shield to keep both of them protected from him. This was going downhill fast…?

Maybe not… a bunch of shadows suddenly covered the floor, pulling the Royal Army soldiers down into them along with the executioners as they yelled, unable to help each other. Their group didn't know what was happening, so they couldn't help… They could only watch as their enemies disappeared into the shadows and out of sight before the shadows retreated down the hall. They weren't taken away by the shadows… What the hell!?

The shadows rounded up to reveal a person to them, and by then, they had all gathered together in one spot to keep each other safe from the possible threat. They were all on edge as the person approached, his voice sounding ever so slightly familiar… Was there an actually possibility of…?

"I've come from the future. I'm Rogue."

It **was** who they thought, Rogue from Sabertooth… but he was from the future, like the future Lucy? Lucy came back for a reason, but did he… why did he come back? Did he get rid of the soldiers to help them? He seemed… very different from the present Rogue.

"Why did you come back from the future?" Carla asked for all of them. They were all apprehensive of this Rogue because something just seemed… off?

"To open the portal." He responded simply. Was he talking about Eclipse? "There are two ways to use Eclipse. One is time travel. The other is the Eclipse Cannon, an offensive weapon. It's the only way to defeat the 10, 000 dragons." The 10, 000 dragons really could be defeated, then.

"Then that makes it easy. You're on our side!" Natsu cheered a bit, seeming so sure of that. The others seemed to be relaxing upon thinking that the future Rogue was on their side, but Seph still felt something off about him. He seemed too calm… Wendy mused that the future could be saved, but that was when he frowned instead of smiling like he had been.

"No. It isn't that simple." He countered, bringing their attention back to him. "I come from seven years in the future. Seven years from now, dragons rule the world." They ruled it? What about the people who were left? "Not even 10% of the current human population has survived. Of course, Eclipse isn't nearly as powerful as it is now. If the dragons aren't stopped here and now, this world will come to an end."

"Then let's open the portal and blow 'em away! Boom! Easy, right?" Natsu asked and, although he made a fairly okay point, it wasn't that simple.

"However, seven years ago… That is, in the present, someone interfered with the opening of the portal." Rogue explained, shocking them a bit. Why would anyone interfere…? "Because of that person, the portal wasn't opened. The Eclipse Cannon that was pointed at the 10, 000 dragons couldn't fire. Someone led the world to destruction. I'm here to eliminate that person." Eliminate was a strong word… Why go that far?

"That's barbaric! If you talk to the person about their reasons, maybe they won't interfere after all." Carla advised, but the future Rogue merely shook his head. Why not? There was no need for murder!

"At such a critical junction in time, words cannot prevent actions. Even if I did convince the person now, they would definitely close the portal. It's already decided." Future Rogue argued, in which Seph had to swallow harshly in order to continue breathing. This was a lot to ride on… Destiny is inescapable. The living will live. The dead will die. The person who closes the portal is going to close the portal. No matter what happens, as long as they're alive."

"I don't really follow you." Natsu stated, nearly interrupting. Future Rogue made sense, sort of, but… Why kill the person? Why not contain them or something? "But who is this person that interferes?"

That was good question. There was no point in all this murder or don't murder talk if they didn't even know who would interfere with the portal.

They didn't even get a second to react, though, before future Rogue was yelling at Lucy and aiming to attack her: to **kill her**. Natsu wasn't fast enough to stop the future Rogue's attack. The only one fast enough to help had to make a sacrifice… so, future Lucy saved her past self by moving into the line of fire, taking the hit for herself. No one could stop it… There was a moment of pure shock before the present Lucy yelled, Happy yelling as well and making a run for his friend's side. Future Lucy or not, this was his friend. This was all of them, their friend!

"I didn't… close the portal…" Lucy would never close the portal. She wouldn't dare to do that to everyone; she wouldn't have been able to from the castle dungeons, so this didn't even make sense…

"Why did you protect me!?" Lucy questioned her future self frantically, but it was quite obvious even though future Lucy told her anyways. Lucy was future Lucy in the past, so if she died, future Lucy would disappear anyways. Dying with herself at her side… That obviously felt weird.

"H-Hey… what about Healing Magic?" Lily asked, barely able to get his words out. Seph wasn't able to reply by then, with her hands over her ears but not blocking anything out and tears pouring out of her eyes only to stream down her cheeks. With a wound that deep, nothing could…

"That's okay. Enough…" Future Lucy told them, somehow smiling through this. She was dying, why… "I never thought I would be able to see any of you again… but I did, one more time. That alone… makes me happy…"

This wasn't okay. Seph could barely stay standing through the sobs that racked her body, and she would've been on the ground if Lily wasn't keeping her standing by wrapping an arm around her to help her stay upright. They didn't care what world she was from. They didn't care what anyone said. Lucy was Lucy, she was their friend! Of course they were sad! She was dying… She **was** _ **dead**_!

There was plenty of arguing back and forth between the present Lucy and the future Rogue, but he wouldn't get anywhere near her. Natsu wouldn't allow it. Lucy was being targeted, she had to get away from there and they were going to make sure that she would be okay. Lily had to grab Seph's wrists and drag her a bit before she started to run on her own, but she managed it somehow.

They had to protect the future, for their sakes and the sake of their dear friend, no matter what.


	10. Dragon Hunting

**A/N:** **I'm so sorry about not updating yesterday. My laptop broke down and I'm currently uploading this from a friend's laptop. Updating might be slow until I can get my laptop fixed, but I'll do my best to be on time! Enjoy this chapter, please, I'm sorry it's short.**

* * *

They managed to make it outside before too long, the fresh air helping to calm down Seph's flaring anxiety. They found the Eclipse Gate, along with many soldiers including the Minister of Defense, Arcadios and the Princess herself. It looked like they were opening the portal…

"There's no need to hide. Come out." Arcadios suddenly said, shocking them a little bit and making them tense. They weren't too sure… Happy jumped out of the bushes anyways.

"We didn't do anything wrong!" He declared firmly before the Minister responded quickly.

"Various circumstances have changed." He told them, in which they all cautiously climbed out of the bushes to stand in front of the three supposed leaders of the Eclipse at the moment.

"You have my deepest apologies. Owing to our current emergency situation, I'll give you a formal apology at a later date." The Princess sighed, looking very guilty and ashamed for what she had done. She had basically sent them to their deaths, so… it was appreciated, sort of. "Also, congratulations on winning the **Grand Magic Games**."

They brightened up at that, Seph considerably, all of them exchanging looks and words. Seph even found herself high-fiving Lily because they had complete faith in their partners and it had paid off. They were cut off by the sound of the Eclipse working its way to opening up, in which Lucy spoke.

"Why are you opening the portal?" Lucy asked a little worryingly. "The dragons aren't here yet!"

The princess had a small conversation with Arcadios on the fact that they were aware of the situation before they were questioned about the future Lucy, in which they couldn't reply right away. She was murdered, by another man who came from the future. That was the proper way to say it… Lucy informed them of the false claim her gave of her interfering with the portal, but she was only wondering why they were opening the portal when the dragons weren't there at the moment. Apparently, it took time for it to fire. They wouldn't have time if they waited for the dragons to appear.

They couldn't say with any certainty that the Eclipse Cannon would be able to stop all of the dragons, though… but the Princess was sure that his Majesty was also taking measures to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

All Seph could think about was if Laxus and the Raijinshuu were safe… She really hoped that they were. She was sure that she was going to see them again, but anything could go wrong. She didn't want to think like that, but perhaps… that was the realistic way of thinking. It didn't really matter. She knew that, with whatever dragons were left after the Eclipse Cannon's firing, all of the Mages would most likely be fighting. That included her partner and her team, and her Guild all together. So, it didn't matter. They would still be fighting, so maybe she would end up with them in the end.

The Eclipse finally ceased, slowly pulling its doors open and revealing a bright light from within it. It steamed from within as well, and it pushed the dust from the ground into the air at the slightest movements. The portal was opening and the city's bells started to ring, indicating that it was now midnight. It was a new day, July 7th of x791. The moon was red and far beyond creepy, a lunar eclipse, but hey… dragons were appearing on this day. Anything went without saying now. The Eclipse was powerful by being so tall and strong, but also because it was full of seven years worth of magic. You could just… feel the magic power being blown at you with the strong winds from the doors that were pushing open. They might've had a chance at exterminating the dragons with this much magic power… all of it in one place…

The future could be saved with this.

Lucy suddenly started to walk towards the portal and everyone tensed, unsure of what she was doing. Wendy called out to her, but she didn't reply.

"No…" She mumbled, confusing them. What did she mean by "no"…? "The portal mustn't be opened…" What…? Of course it had to be opened; they needed the cannon to defeat the dragons! "I need to close the portal now!" No, she couldn't do that! She said she wouldn't! Why was she going back on her words? She had **promised** them that she wouldn't close that Gate! "Close the portal! Now! You mustn't open it!" What was wrong, all of the sudden? Why…? "Please! Close the portal!"

"We can't! This is our only weapon against the dragon swarm!" The Princess argued against her. "If we close the portal now, we won't be able to fire the Eclipse Cannon!" Lucy merely walked forward, staring the Princess down.

"There is no Eclipse Cannon!" Lucy told her, laying a weight down on all of them. What did she mean by that!? "That's a portal! It's a portal that's connected to the time stream!"

"And by releasing its accumulated magic power, we can fire the Eclipse Cannon." The Princess reminded her, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"You're wrong! That's no weapon!" Lucy argued, in which Arcadios took a step forward.

"That's enough. You're speaking to the princess of this country." Arcadios said, sounding a little threatening. Lucy didn't back down, though.

"That portal is connected to four hundred years in the past!" She yelled before there was a sudden rumbling, almost as if something large had stomped its foot down.

They were powerful tremors, one after another, so powerful that a couple of soldiers, the Princess and Happy had fallen over. Everyone fought to stay balanced on their feet, turning their attention towards the Eclipse Gate. That's where they sounded like they were coming from… It couldn't be, they fought against believing it until it was straight in front of their eyes.

The portal wouldn't stop the dragons. The dragons came out of the portal, one at a time!

The first dragon let out a roar that probably wasn't even within its full capacity, and it threw everyone off of their feet. Multiple soldiers were hanging on by a thread, their spears in the ground to keep them from flying away. The ground tore up into pieces, concrete flying everywhere, and statues broke apart from the strength of the dragon's roar. Seph found herself barely able to keep herself from flying away, hanging onto a piece of broken-up ground that had yet to go flying. She hoped it would stay that way, or she was going to end up as a pancake somewhere.

The dragon put its foot down and it tore up the ground powerfully, sending a tremor in a straight line all throughout the city. It tore everything up as if it was nothing. To it, it probably **was** nothing. It was huge, so this wasn't too much of a surprise, but everyone was in shock because they had messed up. They shouldn't have let the Gate open! They couldn't let it **stay** open! There were more dragons coming out from behind the first one by the second, every damn second they were leaving that Gate open and staring in shock at their mistake.

"Lucy-san, how did you know!?" Wendy asked over the sound of dragons roaring and the power of the wind blowing from said dragons. Lucy was working on closing the portal, but the lever wouldn't budge.

"It wasn't me! Old Mast Crux was investigating the whole time!" Lucy replied with a strain in her voice as she pulled on the lever. It just wouldn't budge… "He just finished his analysis of the portal a couple minutes ago! This device combines the magic from the Books of Zeref with Celestial Spirit Magic! Normally, you'd be able to set the time coordinates and travel through time… but today is different! That moon is throwing off the magic! That's why we can't control the portal! It's connected to four hundred years ago… in other words, an age in which dragons existed!"

That… sort of made sense, but that made this all the more awful. The dragons were already making their way out into the city… Everyone was able to make it back onto their feet, a couple of them on their knees instead just so they didn't have to feel the power of being knocked over again, but that didn't mean much. Lucy wasn't able to close the portal! Why wasn't it closing!? It needed to be closed! Was there not enough Celestial Spirit Magic with Lucy alone…?

Luckily, just in time, Yukino came running over with Mira right behind her. They could use the twelve Gold Keys to seal the portal and prevent more dragons from coming out, and then there would only be so many dragons that they would have to fight. They did just that, combining Lucy's ten keys with Yukino's two keys and summoning all of the twelve Zodiac Celestial Spirits to shut the Eclipse Gate just in time to avoid another dragon coming through, although it had tried very hard. It only got shut out, though, which was a good thing for them. They only had a moment to celebrate that the Gate had been closed before having to think about how many dragons got through, and then taking notice to approaching footsteps from nearby.

"You foiled my plan, Lucy and Yukino." A familiar voice spoke, bringing them all around from celebrating to being worried and angry. It was the future Rogue, just like they had thought. "But seven dragons are still plenty." What had happened to Natsu? "To be honest, I couldn't control 10, 000 of them."

"What are you talking about?" Mira asked on everyone's behalf, although it was a little obvious by now. This was his aim all along and he lifted his arms into the air, smiling wickedly.

"Listen well, you ignorant peasants!" He yelled. The dragons had taken off into the air moments before his arrival and a couple of them were touching down nearby. "I'm here to tell you that the world you know is coming to an end. The age of dragons is upon us!"

He gave the dragons an order and they took off, obeying him. His aim was to control them and destroy the entire country… He killed the future Lucy for a selfish reason. One of the dragons put a foot down to pick him up, but then took off into the air, while he left a green dragon he addressed by "Zirconis" to deal with everyone by the Eclipse Gate. There were only seven dragons… They would be okay, right? The dragons **were** tearing up the city, though…

Seph decided that this was honestly not the right time to be thinking and getting all anxious. This dragon was more chatty than violent like the others, it seemed, so it wasn't like they were going to get totally trampled all over. Maybe that would come later.

"Look at you people with your terrified faces. Am I that scary?" Zirconis questioned, still wearing the grin that he had shown up with. "If you want to escape, you'd better do it now. Although I'll pursue and devour you…" Oh, so he didn't exactly trample, he ate people… Well, that was _**so**_ much better, wasn't it? Hint the sarcasm. Wendy stepped forward and addressed him, as she and some of the others had encountered Zirconis' spirit before. Seph didn't know the full story, but… "What is it, young lady? You wish to talk to me?"

"What is it you're after!? Why are all of you doing this!?" Wendy asked, and even confused, Zirconis kept his grin. Maybe that's what made him so scary…

"Why? Ask the ones over there." Zirconis responded, pointing a finger in the direction of the dragon that had taken off with the future Rogue. "The one that's flying, Motherglare… The little man riding on top is dishing out orders. Well, I'm doing what he says because it's fun in its own way." What purpose did he have doing this, though? If dragons destroyed the world, there would end up being no place for them, either…

It didn't take long for them to notice flames erupting off of Motherglare's back, the dragon crying out in pain and dropping down in the air a bit. Through its roar, the voice of none other than Natsu Dragneel rang out into the air.

" _Can you hear me!? Dragon Slayer magic can take down the dragons!_ " He was always so loud… It was pretty much a gift at the moment. " _We've got seven Dragon Slayers here! And seven dragons! Out magic exists for this very day! Dragon Slayers exist to fight this very battle! Let's go…_ "

More flames erupted off of Motherglare's back as it fell even lower out of the sky.

" _Dragon hunting!_ "


	11. It's a Good Life

All of the Royal guards had basically grouped together and made themselves easy targets for Zirconis, who wasn't even looking for a fight and just for something to eat. While the groups were spread out a bit, it still wasn't too smart of an idea even if the dragon was just looking over them, deciding who to eat first.

"I've decided!" Zirconis suddenly yelled out in a song-song type of tone. "I'm gonna eat you all at once!" Could he even manage that!?

A red beam started forming together in Zirconis' mouth, nearly blinding them, before he let out a roar. As a myth, it was said that all dragons breathed fire, but the truth was that they breathed whatever was connected to their magic. Seph almost didn't make it down, but her legs gave out at the best time for once, although she did go down face-first, smacking her forehead against the concrete painfully. This was terrible in more ways than one… especially when the beam cleared away, which left Seph covering her eyes. She wasn't sure just yet if she was going to throw up or not, or if this was the worst sight she had ever seen. She had seen a lot, but…

He hadn't killed them; he stripped them of their clothes! And then he had the nerve to turn around and remember that men was disgusting, and deciding that he'd eat the woman. Arcadios even turned around and told Zirconis that he couldn't eat the princes because she was a man, which was obviously not true… Seph only uncovered her eyes when the footsteps of the soldiers were completely gone, although in the next moment, Zirconis had taken away Lucy's clothes and she screamed, bringing a sharp ringing into Seph's ears. She had the right to scream, honestly…

After Zirconis explained that his magic was one that took away people's dignity, Wendy countered by telling him that the magic she used was going to bring him down despite Lucy freaking out about needing clothes and not even a moment later, Zirconis had scooped Lucy up into the air in his hand. He poked and prodded at her until Wendy got angry, visibly activating her magic, and when Zirconis pushed on Lucy's head as if to pop it, Mira did the same. Wendy promised that she would defeat him, but he merely let out a roar, throwing all of them off of their feet or in Seph's case, onto her back from her knees before she continued rolling further away. Not too far, but far enough to have taken some more damage from the concrete underneath her.

Zirconis then took off into the air, high far above the palace itself, and Mira made the quick move of flying up with her Sitri soul with Wendy following close behind, Carla being the one to fly her up. The rest of their now small group was pretty much just stuck on the ground, waiting for the three to come down with Zirconis and Lucy or for Zirconis to be defeated. However, Zirconis had gotten angry from Wendy's attack doing damage to him that he had thrown Lucy, in which Happy took off after her.

"Your head is bleeding."

Seph jumped from Lily suddenly speaking, not having heard his footsteps as he approached. She hadn't felt it before, but now she could feel the warm blood against her cold fur, a hand reaching up to dab at the wound on her forehead. It was to be expected from her fall earlier, honestly…

"I'm okay." She told him, trying to sound a little assuring as she got to her feet, wobbling a little bit. Her arms and legs were scratched up from rolling… "I've been through worse."

"That doesn't make it okay." He sighed, kneeling down beside her and reaching out for the wound. Seph recoiled immediately, knowing that it would hurt, and he pulled away quickly so that she could lean back. "Sorry, I just… Can you heal it?"

"N-No, I can't heal myself…" She responded before moving to stand up, but her legs were so shaky and weak that she couldn't manage it without support, which Lily brought in. She was still wobbly even with his support, but at least she was able to manage it now.

Zirconis suddenly touched back down onto the ground with Mira, Wendy and Carla coming down straight after him, but his wings flapped and caused a lot of wind, nearly knocking Seph off of her feet again. She would've ended up right back where she started if Lily wasn't keeping a hold on her… and Seph never thought that she would ever end up being so happy to see lightning throughout her life, but she was happy since this lightning came from a person she knew very well. He had probably come to help them due to Wendy's young age despite her being a Dragon Slayer. The Raijinshuu even came running up behind them after him, stopping once they had reached the pair of Exceeds.

"Are you okay!? You're bleeding!" Evergreen pointed out to Seph once again, which made her let out a short, light laugh before nodding.

"I'm just a little weak in the legs." Seph replied truthfully before turning to look back at Zirconis and the ones fighting. "I got a little tossed around when the dragons showed up…" It was understandable. Everyone had gotten a little tossed around by then.

Despite Laxus doing his best to fight against Zirconis, the dragon's scales somehow managed to ricochet the lightning in little pieces back where it came from and further, in which Seph ended up back on her knees again, covering her head as a precaution. This was ridiculous… Was there no way to defeat a dragon!? Even with two Dragon Slayers against one dragon, it was quite close to impossible. She didn't want to say impossible because then they would be in **so** much trouble… However, with a combined attack, they were able to knock Zirconis straight onto the ground and he didn't move for a moment.

Lily helped her onto her feet again, him having to use more strength than before to keep her stable because her legs just kept getting weaker every time they hit the ground. She was sure that there was something her mind was tolerating that her body wasn't, but it could've just been that she had hit the ground too many times and royally screwed her legs up in some way. She'd have to stay off of her feet for awhile if she wanted to fix them, probably… Zirconis then got back onto his four feet very slowly, most of the energy having been drained out of him.

He spoke non-stop for a moment before suddenly turned to Wendy and making a run for it, his mouth opening wide. Seph felt hopeless because she couldn't move as Laxus quickly stepped in front of the young girl, both of them now in the line of fire.

… That's what they saw, and each individually felt. It was a minute or so into the future, and it was rushing towards them quickly. They couldn't think about the images of the future right now, though, Wendy and Laxus still had a fight to win, and they were doing damn good at working to win it.

Lucy's voice suddenly rang in their ears, said girl coming running with a new outfit and a notebook in her hand. She said it was a memo pad from the future Lucy and Yukino started to read from a page. Future Lucy said that, if by any chance, the portal in this time period was destroyed, the Eclipse portal in the future would cease to exist. If that happened… Wait, Rogue wouldn't have any means to come back to their time period! If everything were to work out, then both the dragons and the future Rogue would disappear from their time! It was worth a shot.

"However, there's one big problem." Arcadios stated, in which they all understood what he meant and turned to look at the giant Eclipse gate. "How do we destroy a giant structure like that?" It wouldn't be an easy job, but if Rogue didn't come from the future, the world should return to its proper history.

Seph's legs suddenly started working again, strengthening from their weakened state, and it surprised her a lot, ending with her falling forwards into Lily because she hadn't been expecting it. It was a sudden shoot of strength and she was able to steady herself, letting go of him and still being stable. While Laxus and Wendy were fighting Zirconis, the rest of them could do something about the Gate, including Seph now that her legs were working. She had a theory on why they gave out so bad and then returned to nearly full strength very suddenly, but she was going to keep that to herself for now.

Lucy and Yukino went first, using their Celestial Spirit Magic to summon the twelve Zodiacs once again to destroy the Gate, but even after a very hard hit, the Gate remained standing with not even a scratch or a dent inflicted upon it. Even so, they continued to attack, each and every hit stronger than the one before until their magic power was nearly no more. The Gate still stood, not damaged even in the slightest. They tried over and over… it didn't even have a scratch!

Suddenly, a light shined over them from behind, bringing their attention to the sky. A huge ball of fire was falling down towards them and the portal quickly, in which Happy started yelling at all of them to get away from the portal. They barely even had a full minute to starting running in some sort of direction away from the portal, not knowing what the big ball of fire was or what was going to happen although they did it anyways. It crashed all too quickly, causing a massive explosion and bringing everyone either up into the air or flat onto the ground without a say in the matter. No one really thought to get up afterwards too quickly, but when they did, they found the Natsu had been the source and that the portal had been completely, utterly destroyed. It was in pieces!

Now, Rogue couldn't use the portal to come back to their time period and the dragons… disappeared. History returned to normal as the dragons and the future Rogue disappeared into a gold ball of light before shattering into tiny specks, leaving them all peacefully in the chaotically destroyed Crocus. It didn't really feel like they had won, but, the battle was over… and really, Seph wanted to just fall asleep in a bed again. Even if she hadn't really fought, all of this was too much on her mind right now. The city was in shambles and honestly, so was her thoughts.

* * *

The city had been miraculously fixed up with magic and the Mages had been given a couple of days to rest before being called to the palace for a Grand Ball. Seph didn't want to go, as she didn't like social events or dresses too much, especially big, fancy ones, but Evergreen wasn't taking no for an answer this time. Luckily, Evergreen hadn't gone overboard even with all of the joking, just putting Seph into a dress she had picked up earlier out in the city with some of the other girls. She had planned ahead and gotten a slim, dark blue dress that didn't hug Seph like some sort of doll and simply came down to just past her knees, and a black cardigan because of Seph's constant whining over how a dress wouldn't cover her arms properly or anything.

At least Evergreen allowed the small Exceed to wear her boots, although only because they weren't as dirty as they probably could've been, but she was just… not good in social situations. Honestly, she just found an isolated table and snacked on some weird chips that had an indescribable taste. They were sweet, but not too sweet, so they balanced out and… They were just slowly becoming a comfort because there were far too many people packed into the ballroom. The king sure was generous, inviting all the roughneck Mages to mingle in the same place. Seph was keeping an eye out for the start of a fight, just in case it was too close and she had to move away.

But, come to think about it, Natsu didn't seem to be there… It was strange. He seemed to be the kind of guy that would stand out the most during these kinds of events.

Seph looked around for Laxus only to find that she probably didn't want to go over to him with all of the girls hanging off of him despite the rest of the Raijinshuu being around… Oh, this was ridiculous. Going against her anxiety and, honestly, her better judgment, she made her way over to her group. She didn't really say anything, but she made herself known by tugging on Evergreen's dress gently, catching the woman's attention much quicker than she thought she would.

"Are you doing okay?" Evergreen asked, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Seph nodded stiffly, just motioning in a way that Evergreen would understand. There were too many people, but she was managing.

She jumped straight into the air with a small scream when a body came flying into the table nearby, a fight having started between some of the Guilds over where Yukino would end up. She had been expecting a fight, but… over such a reason; she couldn't help but relax and smile. They were tearing up the entire ballroom and even though she ended up behind one of Laxus' legs for protection from flying objects, she actually found herself laughing. It was a sweet sound that carried out into the air and caught the attention of a couple of people, but she didn't mind and she continued. She was free, after all, and in a great place. She had no reason to stop!

Not until a sword slammed into the ground from the balcony above from Arcadios, and even then she had to do her absolute best to stifle her laughter. She finally managed to stop laughing when it was announced that the king was arriving to express his appreciation directly over the **Grand Magic Games** and their efforts in saving the country… but, the king wasn't the one to appear. Natsu did, wearing the king's crown and robes and entirely laughing about it. He was taking it quite far and although shocked, Seph could hear Laxus snort behind his wide grin. This wasn't too surprising, was it?

Even so, Natsu finally heeded and went back to change into a suit before coming back and starting to eat off of the surviving tables. Seph didn't stop smiling for at least five minutes and then things settled down, her expression switching to a more neutral one as she stuck close to her team. People had started dancing by then, but she wasn't much of a dancer… okay, she didn't know **how** to dance. She had never properly danced ever before in her life and she felt kind of hopeless when Elfman took Evergreen away for a dance, and then even more so when Laxus was torn away to dance by a girl before Freed could get over his shyness and ask the man to dance with him. Seph and Freed hadn't talked too much, and Bickslow was nowhere to be found.

So, she ended up back in her small, isolated area and just continued munching on the chips that had begun to be much more of a comfort than anything else at that point. She didn't really move from there until she saw Lily coming her way, in which she got onto her feet.

"Hey, I didn't think that you'd be here." He greeted when he got close enough, his hands tucked into his pockets. Seph hummed a bit, giving him a nod.

"I didn't really want to come, but Evergreen pulled me along… I'm kinda glad. I haven't laughed like I did earlier in a very long time." She told him, watching as his smile grew from hers.

"I heard. It's a wonder as to why you don't laugh freely like that more." He said, gaining a shrug from her. She couldn't really explain that the last ten years had been soul-sucking. "… Want to dance?" She paused for a moment before shrugging.

"It **looks** like fun, but… I-I don't… know **how** to dance." She admitted, watching as Lily froze for a moment before sighing and shaking his head a bit. He then held out a hand to her.

"I can teach you." He offered, although she was a little unsure. "I don't mind if you step on my feet a couple of times, you're quite light."

She paused for a moment before nodding a bit and carefully slipping her hand into his with a smile.

It was a good life.


	12. The Lightning Man

**A/N:** **As an apology for missing so many Saturdays and updating late a lot because I'm so busy all of the time, here's an extra chapter! It's long and all, so.. sorry y'all, for being so busy and not updating properly and such. Ily y'all!**

* * *

Although the night had been a little rocky with a nightmare, the next morning worked out okay. They all packed up and were ready to head back to Magnolia, in which the trek would only take about half a day.

The first half of the trek, Seph spent the time walking between Lily and Laxus, chatting with Lily about random stuff before getting into a long conversation of the Raijinshuu and Laxus explaining the fight that took place between Laxus and Jura. Seph kept an amazed and excited face on the whole time before looking very proud, congratulating Laxus on his win against the fifth ranked Wizard Saint. The second half of the trek, Seph spent the time on Laxus' shoulders, gently using his head as a drum and humming. She felt good, better than before or during the games, and more importantly, she felt happy. She had a feeling that it wouldn't stay that way, but she was going to enjoy it the best she could.

By the time they reached Magnolia, all of the others had arrived as well and Seph was still sitting on Laxus' shoulders as they walked down a path made out of the citizens of Magnolia, who were standing on either side and cheering loudly as the Guild members made their way through the city. They just won the **Grand Magic Games** … wait, that meant that they were number one in Fiore. Oh, that made sense… Seph felt a little dense, but nonetheless covered one of her ears with a hand to block out some of the noise. Cana was already drinking, was that a good thing?

They were aimed in a certain direction by the mayor after being told that they were going to be given a token of appreciation from him and although bashful, they really couldn't refuse… especially not when they saw the huge building they had been built to use as a Guild hall. It was on the edge of the city, and it stood nearly as tall as the Kardia Cathedral, which was the tallest building in Magnolia. Their Guild mark was proudly presented on a flag and as little statues, the big statues of fairies sitting in the front.

It was amazing! Seph had never seen a Guild hall like it before!

She would be living with Laxus and with how big the city was, it wouldn't be hard to remember where everyone lived and stuff. After making herself feel at home in Laxus' cabin not too far out on the outskirts of Magnolia, Seph took a quick nap with Laxus at her side before they headed over to the Guild to meet up with the Raijinshuu. They would probably sit for awhile and Seph wasn't sure if she wanted to go out on a job, so depending on how she felt, she'd either go on one with them or stay behind at the Guild to just hang around until they got back. Either way, she was having a good time drinking a cup of juice with a straw and snacking on grapes with Evergreen.

It was nice to be together with good company instead of bad company, as Seph had learned that it was better to be alone than in bad company, like someone who would only make time for you when it was convenient for them or someone who made you feel trapped. She could remember very well that her dreams and abilities were discredited and it hurt to think of just how many times she had been lied to because, honestly, she couldn't even tell what had been the truth. The negativity had rubbed off onto her a bit at times, but it was only because she had been motivated to be judgmental and hateful even though she didn't see the point. It was like she had been another person, one that they both wanted and didn't want, and it screwed her up badly… but she was able to come back from that not too long afterwards.

Laxus and the Raijinshuu decided to stay around the Guild with her just for that day, the time passing by quickly and Seph becoming more exhausted by the minute. Laxus got them home just in time to lay her down and get the covers over her before she passed out. She stayed asleep for about an hour before darting up from the bed with a strangled gasp, grabbing at her chest before curling up and lying back down, trying to cry quietly. It didn't work, as Laxus had felt her movement and rolled onto his side to pull the covers over her again and rub her back comfortingly.

"Another one…?" He asked softly, gaining a small whimper from his partner as she nodded in reply. He could just feel how scared she was from the feeling of dread that hung over her from her nightmare, and he carefully pulled her onto his chest, rolling onto his back again. It was silent for a moment before Seph suddenly spoke.

"… I-I-I'm sc-scared…" She choked out through a sob, covering her face with her hands. She felt awful for saying it, but she couldn't take it back. She shouldn't have felt ashamed, but she felt as if she **couldn't** be afraid due to how it was back where she came from. Fear meant death back there.

She was scared of _**everything**_ … She didn't understand all of it.

She didn't know what most foods and drinks were. She didn't know that there were so many Guilds; she never thought there would be so many people, nonetheless a kingdom. She had read so many books, but they had all been so ancient and when she had escaped from being trapped after ten years, she hadn't known where to go. She didn't **have** anywhere to go when she escaped and she didn't cope too well right away with her surroundings in the condition she had been in. Even now, she was still learning. It was like she had come from some far away planet with no proper civilization, but everyone else somehow understood that she just needed some time.

They didn't know about her past, but they were still there for her. That's why she had such a hard time accepting her fear, because she wanted to be okay and she wanted to live as normal of a life as a Mage could get.

"I always am."

Seph didn't know if she had just heard Laxus' response to make herself feel better or if he had actually admitted that he was always scared, but that was okay. It wouldn't stop the nightmares, it wouldn't lessen her fear, it wouldn't do anything significant… but it gave her a little bit of hope that could never be crushed, much like her determination.

* * *

Early the next morning, Evergreen found a letter being slid under her door and a small knock sounding against her door before the footsteps of whoever delivered the mail faded away down the hall. She spent at least five minutes tossing and turning before sighing because it was quite obvious that, no, she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. So instead of trying to do the impossible, she got out of bed and went over to her door to grab the letter, opening it and finding great surprise that it was from Laxus of all people. He needed **her** help with something?

She didn't dare to waste a moment, knowing that Freed and Bickslow had probably been contacted as well, and immediately threw on her clothes. It didn't take long to do her hair and makeup, as she always did it and had become a pro many years ago, and just had to grab her jacket to head out the door and over to where Laxus was living. He could've come back to the boy's dorm when he was accepted back in, but she was a little glad that he didn't because that would've complicated things with Seph.

Wait, was **this** about Seph?

Just the thought alone made Evergreen go much quicker, cursing the Laxus lived on the other side of Magnolia and even just a little further out.

It didn't take her very long to get there, but she was worried that she might've been ten minutes too late as she lifted her fist and knocked on the door. There was low chatter from inside and a small crash as if someone had tripped and fallen, but then Freed answered the door for her. Like she had thought, he and Bickslow had been contacted, and from the serious look on his face, something was wrong.

"Is it Seph?" She asked right away, just having a feeling. Freed paused before giving her a slight nod, looking over his shoulder quickly. "What happened?"

"She's, um…" Freed started, lifting a hand to his forehead to move his bangs out of the way, unsure of how to explain the situation to her. "It's nothing bad. Laxus just doesn't know what she eats, which is why I'm here, and didn't get the chance to go shopping, which is why Bickslow is here… and Seph **refuses** to let him help her shower even though she won't do it herself. There's something wrong with that word, even, and it set her off. Now she's… under Laxus' bed and she won't dare to come out."

Evergreen paused before nodding, Freed moving aside to let her in before closing the door, and she put her jacket on the coat hanger, making her way through the house to find Laxus' room. She was nearly 100% sure that she had found it when she found Laxus on the ground, looking under a bed and holding an arm out under it for someone. Evergreen took a spot beside him, seeing that Seph was indeed hiding under there with no intent of coming out.

"Hey, Seph, what are you doing under there?" Evergreen asked softly with a smile although she already knew. Seph didn't have to know that she knew, even as she looked up a bit to confirm that Evergreen was actually there. She shrugged a bit, keeping her hands on her knees that were pulled up to her chest.

"… Y-You can't m-m-make m-me take a… sh-sh-sho-ower…" Seph mumbled in reply, curling away from them even more. "… I-It's a… b-b-bad thi-ing…" Evergreen paused before carefully reaching a hand out for Seph.

"You don't need to have a shower. I can help you take a bath instead." Evergreen proposed, which froze Seph in place for a second. Did she really not know what a bath was? Nonetheless, the small Exceed very carefully took Evergreen's hand and crawled out from underneath Laxus' bed, the man sighing in relief and getting up to go join the other men in the kitchen.

Evergreen got up with the small Exceed in her arms and headed towards the bathroom, where she put Seph down to merely turn on the water for the tub. Warm water was a good way to go…

"… Do I **have** to take my clothes off…?" Seph asked softly, gaining Evergreen's attention. She gave Seph a small, sympathetic smile and nodded.

"It'll get you clean easier, and then we can wash your clothes separately so you can wear them again." She explained, gaining a slight nod from Seph as she turned around a little stiffly to take off her socks first. The multicolored tile floor was cold, but warmed up quickly against her feet, and the cool hues reminded her of the ocean.

She covered her eyes with her hands and took a deep breath, steadying her breathing as her curiosity overcame her. Evergreen began to protest when Seph dragged a stool over to the sink, but the Exceed's determination cut her off. There was someone before Seph, someone rigged with zoned-out eyes that stared off into a horizon that she couldn't even begin to imagine. She never recognized herself in the mirror, no matter how many times she took a look. She gingerly touched the bandage on her forehead where she could feel the deep ache from where bruises had blossomed blotchy, she gingerly touched her bandaged cheek that had been cut open, and where bruises were forming on her temple that no one would dare point out because those weren't from the dragon fight. They were healing, but they were imprinted on her soul forever from irate knuckles that had battered into her and caused the world to spin. She could remember the metallic flavor on her tongue from where blood had pooled into her mouth when her nose became a faucet.

Seph could feel Evergreen's eyes burning a hole where the person she once trusted most had pounded blackened imprints of his fists into her jaw. Her eyes flicked downwards and she got off of the stool, unclipping her overall shorts and beginning to pull off her pink jumper only to get it stuck. She heard Evergreen laugh, the woman's hands finding their way around her and helping her with pulling it off, in which she gave the woman a small "thank you". There was the usual pause as she stepped out of her overalls and her leggings, from when her back was exposed. Mira had paused before gently giving her the mark of Fairy Tail, so it wasn't much of a mystery when Evergreen did it. It was either hands dead set on resting while they thought or shaking limbs caught up in the fabric as if debating between one another whether they should continue or yank whatever she was wearing back down as fast as humanly possible.

"You can get into the tub when you're ready, Seph." Evergreen told the Exceed, who very slowly nodded and headed over to the white tub. The water wasn't that deep, but it still looked… like a pond or something. It wasn't running, so as long as she didn't put her head under the water, then she would be able to breathe… right?

She decided to test that, slowly climbing in as Evergreen rummaged through Laxus' cabinets for everything bath related that she could find from bath bombs to bath salts to comedically large squirts out of bubble bath bottles. It made Seph laugh. She had never actually seen bubbles in a bath before and it was actually really cool! Although, Evergreen might've been a bit excessive… Seph shifted in the water a bit, suppressing a groan because it was really uncomfortable when it felt like her lungs were underwater and her bones were on fire. Evergreen dunked Seph's clothes into the washer and turned it on before sitting at the side of the tub to keep the Exceed company. It was an understatement to say that Seph was in a rough state.

There were scars of various sizes sliced across Seph's back and small burns where most likely cigarettes had been put against her skin as if her flesh was an ashtray. Evergreen felt like she was going to be sick seeing all of the bruises and wounds and scars, but she managed to stay strong and keep a smile on her face. She didn't dare to pour water over Seph's head with even a small cup, but did it in little dribbles instead to keep the Exceed from crying or freaking out. Seph looked like she loved the bath instead of what had initially been awful anxiety over a shower, though. Evergreen only left her once, to switch her clothes into the dryer, and then immediately returned after turning it on.

Eventually, once Seph had been all washed up, she climbed out of the tub into her awaiting towel and let Evergreen gently rub her dry. She giggled all through it, never having experienced a bath or drying off after being dunked into water so nicely before, and sat by with Evergreen until her clothes were clean. She pulled them back on after allowing Evergreen to peel off her wet bandages, which she hadn't been comfortable with Evergreen removing before, and put new ones on before carrying her out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where the rest of their team was waiting. Seph was much happier now, even bubbly, and no one dared to ask why she was so afraid of showers because they wanted to keep her happy.

Freed had made breakfast, which Seph also wasn't used to, and they all sat at the table to eat together, and Seph really appreciated the company. Her injuries didn't hurt so much anymore and she found that… great. They talked about going on a job that day and Seph agreed, feeling like she was in a good mood for it, so after Laxus got dressed and Seph was sitting securely on his shoulders, brushing her tiny little fingers through his bright golden blonde hair, they all took off to the Guild.

The walk wasn't a very long one, but it was long enough to keep them chatting all the way. It was just simple, friendly chatting as a group, as a team, and Seph liked that. It was when they walked **into** the Guild that things got silent and a little worrying, although Seph could hear someone whispering over the fact that Laxus didn't look so terrifying with her just hanging about on his shoulders. It made her feel bad because she didn't want to ruin his reputation or anything… However, her attention quickly switched to the job board, watching as Freed grabbed the only request there and showed it to Laxus because it was directed at him.

"Hi, Laxus!" Natsu suddenly greeted from the other side of the Guild, in which Laxus turned sharply and nearly knocked Seph off of his shoulders. He quickly grabbed her foot to help her stabilize herself, although he kept a neutral face on towards Natsu. "What kind of request is it?"

"What do you care?" Laxus countered back at the younger male before turning again and starting to walk. Seph heard low chuckling from Bickslow and Evergreen, but she was curious as to why Laxus' attitude changed so drastically from towards her and the Raijinshuu, to towards the rest of the Guild.

"Don't be swallowed up by lightning." The Master told Laxus directly with a scowl.

"Don't drown in booze." Laxus scowled back, which brought a small smile onto Seph's face. Laxus was weird with communicating, huh? She was weird with it, too…

* * *

The request said that it took place in the post town of Borwatt, where there had been lightning every single day. Seph didn't know if she would hold out with her phobia, but she's do her best with her team. Gajeel and Lily made their way into the Guild as her and her team made their way out, Seph and Lily exchanging quick nods and waves before the Guild doors closed. She hadn't gotten to talk to him since they got back… but she would get a chance. It wasn't like that was going to last forever, they were both just busy.

The post town of Borwatt was a very gloomy place, dark storm clouds circling their way overhead and putting a painful pressure onto Seph's head. No one was outside, if there was anyone at all, and it was nearly if not actually a lightning rod exhibition. Seph had switched from Laxus' shoulders to down on the ground between him and Evergreen, staying in place beside Evergreen as Laxus took a couple of steps forward into the town. It was very much full of static electricity, as Seph's fur was standing on edge.

"I'm getting a kick out of your hair." Bickslow suddenly told Freed, in which Seph started giggling at how both of the men's hairs were standing on edge as well. Evergreen's was, too, and theirs were much funnier than her fur. "I think the Little Miss is, too." If he meant her, then yes, she was getting a kick out of it. They were always so serious! It was a good break. "Yours, too." Evergreen merely crossed her arms over her chest.

"Shut up. Who are you to talk?" She questioned, which made Seph giggle a little more before missing something that Laxus said and getting scared right out of her own body when lightning cracked through the sky, coming straight down onto the lightning rods and a tree. She found herself clutching at Evergreen's leg as if it would protect her, Laxus blocking the lightning from them after having started walking to talk to the client. He hadn't gotten very far and that must've gotten on his nerves because before they knew it, Laxus was clearing away the clouds with a roar.

Seph hadn't been so happy to see blue sky since three months ago, but she knew that it was only a stopgap measure and that the thunderclouds would gather again. She wasn't looking forward to that, but until then, she felt okay with sitting on top of Laxus' shoulders again despite the static electricity that was still gathered around. He kept her comfort nonetheless, especially when the residents of the town started to crowd around all of them. They were marveling over Laxus, but it was still uncomfortable when they came running forward and asking for him to shake their hands. He tried to send them away with words and a glare, but when that didn't work, he simply walked through the crowd and they parted for him as if he was a God.

Knowing Laxus, he probably could've been. It was actually cute when he marveled over the fact that someone would want to be with him and even blushed a bit.

The Mayor suddenly approached them with his butler straight behind him, in which Seph couldn't help but clutch onto some of Laxus' hair to calm herself down. He didn't seem to mind, it wasn't like she was pulling it out, after all. He greeted them, but the butler did most of the talking.

"It's nice to meet you. This is the mayor of Borwatt, Mr. De Cybele." He introduced the Mayor, motioning to him before motioning to himself. "And I am his executive secretary, Ga Maille."

Seph was very uncomfortable when the butler handed her a business card and held back a groan as she took it, not wanting to be impolite or forced to take it. She was fairly sure that she saw Evergreen smirk when she just shoved the card into one of her overall pockets, tempted to cross her arms and pout. She didn't, though, because she had heard how jobs were supposed to go. If you had to, smile and nod, just make sure to get the job done right. The Mayor and the butler were both a little excessive, though… it was like they were trying to set the team up for failure or something.

Nonetheless, they were escorted to the Mayor's mansion to talk in private and have the situation explained in detail, and honestly… Seph found the Mayor's mansion a little creepy. He had too many statues and too many thin books. Thin books were okay, Seph wasn't trying to say that they weren't, it was just that… well… bigger books were good, too. They were even squished together on one couch, Seph ending up in Laxus' lap as she glanced around, and she was glad for it because the Mayor got quite scary explaining how the phenomenon began.

It started when Laxus came into the town about a week before the **Grand Magic Games** , having gotten a bit too drunk and beaten up some delinquents who were bugging him for money. They had attacked him first, so it was really just self-defense, but the way the Mayor and his butler described it… it really did **not** sound like Laxus at all. What started the lightning was Laxus' initial lightning that night apparently and this was still a job, so they kind of had to do it, but the fact that they were threatening them and their entire Guild was downright awful. Seph really didn't like it, and she could tell that the others didn't like it either.

The storm clouds were back as they left the Mayor's mansion, overlooking the town from the hill and all of them boiling with anger if not just plainly upset. That's what Seph was from back on Laxus' shoulders, plainly upset while also being entirely confused. The Mayor was a piss-ant… There was something else going on here and Evergreen said so, but Bickslow didn't really seem to believe her, so Seph spoke up.

"Well, after all, the original request didn't give any details. Don't you think that's strange?" She asked Bickslow softly, hearing him groan.

"Man, not you too, Little Miss." He sighed, in which she gave him a shrug and a sigh. Laxus suddenly stopped, making her squeak in surprise as she grabbed onto his hair to keep from falling, and she stared at the thunderclouds with him only to wrap her arms around his head upon hearing the start of rumbling thunder and lightning flashing through the clouds.

"I started this mess. If I don't clean it up, it'll cause trouble for all of Fairy Tail." Laxus told them as he started to walk over to the Raijinshuu, who had stopped to wait for him and Seph. The team merely agreed to help him, although they really didn't need to. They were in this with him no matter what and Seph agreed with them that it was no problem for them to help him out. "Ever since we've come to this town, I've been crackling with electricity." His head turned to face the middle of the city. "I have a feeling my magic is being pulled that way."

They didn't waste a moment taking off running into town, finding themselves against much more electricity in the town than before to the point of electricity monsters making themselves known. It was coming from below, so they split up into two groups. Bickslow and Evergreen stayed behind protect the town while Laxus, Freed and Seph took off to figure out why the electricity was coming from below out of all places. For one thing, Seph was Claustrophobic and didn't know why she had followed Laxus and Freed underground, but she managed to stay focused on the task at hand. The three of them came across a huge ball of lightning that was just gathering together and Laxus could somehow immediately tell that it was his lightning.

He jumped into the shallow sewer water and made his way towards the ball of electricity, staring at it before it suddenly went straight for him, tearing at his jacket. Freed put up his arms to defend himself as the lightning nearly reached them and Seph dashed straight behind one of his legs, clutching at his pants to keep herself grounded. Laxus used a Dragon Slayer Secret Art to tear the electricity apart and it made an explosion, in which Seph was barely able to keep her footing or hear Freed call out to Laxus.

When they were able to, Freed and Seph made their way over to Laxus to find him on his knees and panting pretty heavily, which kept Seph worrying over her partner more than usual. While Freed and Laxus exchanged words, however, Seph found herself walking over to where the ball of electricity had been and instead of it, there was a **Lacrima** on the ground. Seph frowned and picked it up carefully.

"Hey, look what I found!" Seph called to them, gaining their attention as she held up the Lacrima. This wouldn't go by easily.

* * *

While the Mayor might've gotten quite the talk, Seph was just glad to be back at the Guild and chatting with people she saw as friends. They hadn't gotten paid and Seph only found that very funny because they hadn't even thought of it until then.

"Hey, Seph."

Seph jumped a little bit before humming as she turned towards the voice of none other than Lily as he sat down beside her, smiling when he saw her smiling.

"Hey, Lily!" She greeted back before looking up to see Gajeel locked in a brawl with Natsu before being promptly tossed across the floor by Gray. The moment Erza made a start towards them, though; Laxus grabbed them by the hair and knocked their heads together to tell them to stop. "Gajeel seems full of energy."

"So does Laxus." Lily chuckled with a small shake of his head, in which they both went quiet for a moment and just enjoyed each other's presence before Lily started talking again. "From what I know, Laxus has always been very hard to figure out. You expect something, but then it'll be something entirely different. His feelings are always so hidden that it's confusing." Well, he wasn't wrong there. "But I think that's something you share with him."

Seph's head snapped up in Lily's direction again, finding him looking towards her with a small smile.

"… What do you mean…?" She asked cautiously.

"You tend to act one way, though you feel another." Lily replied simply as if it was obvious. "It's always been very hard to understand what you were feeling since you're good at hiding your deepest emotions, and I've been thinking that maybe… it was because you had some **reason** to hide them. Ever since you joined, it's been that way."

Some reason to hide her feelings… Could Lily have guessed about her past so early on with her joining the Guild? It had barely even been a couple of weeks and he might've figured it out…

"I've noticed it a couple of times. When you think no one is looking or when you're alone, you seem sad or troubled. It's like you're remembering something that you don't want to, things that **hurt** you." Lily explained looking quite troubled over it himself.

For a moment, Seph could've sworn that Lily's eyes flicked towards her bandages. No one had questioned them like she had expected them to, but they just seemed to let it go. Maybe they kept thinking that they shouldn't ask and she had been glad that they didn't, but that didn't mean they didn't wonder. Obviously, Lily wondered.

"Things that keep you from showing your true emotions, things that keep you from letting yourself show what you're actually feeling…" He mumbled before gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't mean to pry or make you uncomfortable, Seph, I just… want you to know that you can talk to me if you ever want or need to."

Seph paused for a moment before closing her eyes momentarily, letting out a sigh. She wasn't ready to face that… It wasn't that she didn't trust Lily or anything; it was just that if she didn't have to, she wouldn't have told Laxus anything yet and he was her **partner**. She wasn't ready to talk about it to others yet and she hadn't realized that he had been paying so much attention to her.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked, making Seph glance back towards him cautiously. "You don't have to explain anything, it's just a question. Most people tend to ask if Laxus is alright, even the Raijinshuu, but many of them seem to forget to ask if you're doing alright."

Despite herself, Seph found her cheeks heating up a little bit and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing was able to come out. It seemed to be the reason why Lily chuckled within the next couple of seconds.

"Don't wear yourself out worrying over Laxus and whatever else that may be on your mind." He advised quite wisely. "It's very admirable how loyal you are to him already and he couldn't have a better partner, but don't forget to look after yourself." He then smirked slightly. "If you don't, then I'll have to, and I think that you're a little too stubborn to let me do that."

Seph blushed a little bit more, but let out a light laugh at his somewhat attempt to cheer her up. Despite the hatred she had gained against her own kind, Lily was… like-able. She trusted him and she liked him a lot. She got along with him.

"Yes, I'm okay." She replied softly and sincerely. Maybe, at some point… She could talk to him about everything.

"Good to hear." He stated with a small nod, pulling his hand back. "Just remember, I'm here to listen if you ever need someone to just vent to. Your team is there, too."

"Thank you, Lily…" Seph mumbled with a small smile before leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. It was a sign of affection, really. "You're a very good person. I'm glad we met."


	13. Discovery (Part One (Two))

**A/N:** **I hate life tbh lmao I'm so sorry for being late once again, but I got this out asap! Please enjoy it, dudes and such, I'm really sorry**

* * *

Though she wasn't cold, Seph shivered in the snowy wind. It was August, but apparently in some places, it might've just been December. The world was just a completely mysterious phenomenon, sharing the same land with different temperatures and weathers. It had been at least four months now, and yet, she still wasn't used to being outside. She wasn't used to seeing the sky and when the weather was clear, the sun and the moon at different times of the day. She had grown an inch, to Laxus' amusement, but didn't get much further than that. She hadn't paid attention to her height very much before escaping where she came from.

She, Laxus and the Raijinshuu had just finished a job in the snowy atmosphere of a village and were heading through the frosty woods to go and catch a train back to Magnolia. Seph couldn't wait to sit around in the warm atmosphere of the Guild and just chat with her team and some others that she had come to be comfortable around. She was becoming used to the crowded Guild and constant greetings she'd get even if she didn't know a person's name, since Laxus tended to get a lot of attention and she was his partner. She didn't mind it anymore.

She suddenly paused in her spot, her feet sunken into the ground and her jacket barely keeping the snow out of her face, and her partner and team paused to wait for her. She had gotten used to the crunching of the snow under her feet, but it had sounded a little different all of the sudden and she looked down, a little surprised to find that there were already footsteps underneath her little feet. They were bigger, but not big enough to be any of the others, and they were heading into the bushes anyways. There was a pair of Exceed feet running after the other pair, the feet not covered with shoes, and she got curious, cautiously walking over to the bushes only to peer down a hill.

"Did you find something?" Laxus asked her, gaining a small nod and a point to the footsteps in the snow. They were fading fast from the falling snow, but they were noticeable enough. She went to step back from the bushes, but something else that was far out of place caught her attention—a couple drops of a dark red liquid that had seeped into the snow.

Seph would've leaned over to inspect it, but there wasn't a point when she already knew what it was: blood.

"Do you think this hill is too steep…?" She asked as the footsteps of the others came up behind her. She heard Laxus hum in thought a bit, his shadow leaning over her little one as he peered down the hill. It **was** quite steep, after all… but if someone needed help, then as Mages, who were they to turn away?

That seemed to run through all of their minds as Seph was picked up by Laxus and placed on his shoulders before he started to slide down the steep hill, using the trees at his disposal to keep steady and to not go falling down. The others followed, having a little more of a hard time than Laxus was, but managing to stay upright and they followed the dents in the snow that two different bodies had left behind alongside occasional drops of blood. One was a human and one was an Exceed, obviously, but both had been running around in the snow barefoot and **that** was what threw them off.

It was unclear whether they'd find living beings or dead ones. There didn't seem to be enough blood to add up to dead beings, but the more they saw it, the bigger the likeliness of a dead human and a dead Exceed became. Seph wondered what they'd do if they found dead bodies. Their choices were a little limited in her small head, but natural for someone with the paranoia and facts of possibly getting close to finding such a thing. She eventually came around to the fact of just because something out of the ordinary had happened, that didn't mean that she should have gone chasing after it like a dog would after a thrown chew toy.

They finally came to the bottom of the hill with a small slide, arriving at a nearby river… and next to the river was none other than the body of a young teenage girl. The girl was an average height for her age, if not a little taller, and long, purple hair in a familiar shade sprouting from her head, spread over the white snow. Blood was seeped into the snow under her head, her feet having gone red from the cold weather, and a white dress covered her soaked frame, as if she had fallen into the river and climbed right out.

Seph wanted to turn around, but something made her get down from Laxus' shoulder and move closer. It was just **something** that she couldn't remember at the moment, something important, and she wanted to know. This girl was probably dead, as her chest wasn't moving, but Seph's curiosity had no boundaries even when the body turned out to be far too heavy for her to turn over on her own. Eventually, probably out of sympathy, Laxus helped her turn the girl's body over onto her back and allowed Seph to catch her breath from trying so hard. She didn't know why she was trying so hard, but when she noticed the dark gray Exceed resting in the girl's limp arms, something clicked and her legs gave out from underneath her.

Oh God, she **knew** these two very well. Were they that close to…? She couldn't be here, but she couldn't dare to leave these two behind like this. If they weren't already dead, they would end up there.

"… W-We gotta… th-the Guild…" Seph tried to get out, hearing Freed say something and gaining nods from the others.

Laxus used his jacket to wrap the girl and her Exceed up, to give them warmth, and picked up Seph to put her back on his shoulders before lifting the two up like a baby in a bundle. They were both so pale, and the girl's head was bleeding an awful lot… Seph couldn't look. She just spent the trek back to the Guild with her face buried in Laxus' hair.

* * *

"But where did they come from?"  
"I don't know."  
"What were they doing out there like that?"  
"I don't know."  
"… Will they be alright?"  
"I don't know."

" _ **Laxus**_!" Natsu huffed in exasperation, tired of hearing the man repeat "I don't know" over and over again although it was honestly true. "Do you know anything!?" Laxus paused for a moment, thinking, and then spoke up.

"You're a hot-headed idiot." He stated, gathering many of the other members laughter in response as Natsu let out a yell.

Laxus was seated at the bar, needing a drink after carrying the girl and her Exceed all the way back and then having to deal with being asked so many questions, and Seph was seated on the edge of the counter close to him, the Raijinshuu at a table nearby. All of them were very worried, but mostly because Seph had said anything since the pair had been found and she had looked quite mortified for a reason unknown to them. Mira was tending to them in the infirmary with Wendy's help and the hours had trickled by with people coming in and no one going out unless they had important business to attend to. While some people chatted amongst themselves, most of the Guild members stayed silent because Seph had been constantly flinching under every single sound that was too loud for her.

The sound of a door opening jerked all of their attentions over to Mira and Wendy, the both of them looking a little flushed.

"They'll both be fine." Mira assured them after making sure that no one was going to come running at her. "They're just resting now. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a couple of visitors, if you wish to see them."

No one could stop how quickly Seph got up and rushed into the infirmary, slamming the door behind her. A couple of them got the weird feeling that she just needed a bit of time to cry out of the sight of others, and many of them had already come to the conclusion that she must've known the pair. None of them dared to speak, though, allowing a couple of minutes to pass before Laxus got up after putting his mug down, having finished his drink, and made his way over to the infirmary. After a couple of exchanged glances, a group of them followed him in, finding Seph sitting on the side of the bed with her knees pulled to her chest in a hug. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her face was a little red, and her eyes were a little puffy, but not so much as to be noticeable from afar.

Mira must've brushed the girl's hair; the balanced purple strands fanned out across the pillow and lay out underneath her petite frame. The Exceed was lying right beside her, the both of them breathing deeply and evenly although they were both so still between breaths that they kept wondering if they would ever take another one after their previous ones. They weren't as pale as they were before, but it was still a wonder as to how they survived. Seph wouldn't dare to think of any other way this could've gone.

"… Do you know them?" Laxus finally asked, knowing that the question would come up one way or another. Everyone went silent, watching as Seph's body went still, and her expression stagnant, and then she gave a small nod, looking quite upset. She very carefully lifted a hand and pointed to the girl before pointing to the Exceed and then letting her hand fall again after she spoke.

"… That's Katie… and th-that's Charles…" She told them, her voice fairly soft, and Laxus gently rested a hand on the top of her head to let her know that there would be no more questions.

That was the only one.

* * *

A couple of hours passed by, a couple more chairs being brought into the infirmary for the people who stayed behind after the others had left, before the human girl let out a soft groan and mumbled something, her eyes opening ever so slightly before closing again from the light in the room. Those who were sitting nearby stood up, although Laxus stayed seated beside the bed because looming over her probably wouldn't keep her calm, and she pushed herself up onto an elbow slowly, fighting against the light. She blinked a couple of times before her familiar dark green eyes opened, and stayed open, and her expression froze, blank with shock, when she noticed so many people around her.

With surprising speed, she was on her feet, standing on the infirmary bed and nearly tripping over her own feet, armed with only a large pillow. She didn't waste time before bringing the pillow across Laxus' head, nearly whacking him off of his chair before she used the pillow as a shield, her legs giving out from under her. One of her legs was pulled out from underneath her body and laid over her Exceed companion to protect him as she held the pillow menacingly. Before she could swing it again, however, Seph quickly got onto her feet and held up her little hands in defense, making a sound that no one could place with a word.

There was a pause before the pillow was lowered and the girl, who Seph had introduced as Katie hours before and was most likely right, gave another look of shock, but also one of recognition.

"… I don't understand…" Katie let out, her voice hoarse and her tone laced with disbelief. Seph very carefully and slowly put her hands down, seeming a little unsure herself, and then took a seat again. "… J-…" There was a pause, the young girl having cut herself off from saying something she somehow knew she shouldn't have, and then she opened her mouth to speak again. "… Seph…"

There was another pause and then Seph gave a nod, seeming sure now and if not desperate, then no one knew what she was feeling. The girl reached out a hand before cautiously rubbing behind Seph's ear, and then pulling her in for a hug. A couple of the others made movements as if this girl was going to hurt Seph, but when they found Seph actually hugging back, they relaxed and decided that if Seph could trust her, then they could as well. Seph usually didn't trust people, after all… The girl let go, like she knew that physical contact made Seph uneasy after awhile, and then adjusted her gaze to look over the group that was still in the room. She looked unsure again, but Seph grabbed her hand and shook her head.

"Th-These are my friends…" She promised, bringing a calm atmosphere over the entire room. That was the first time, out loud, that Seph had addressed them all as her friends.

One of Katie's hands reached up to push back some of her hair before simply landing down again, finding the Exceed's hand as he stirred from the ruckus she had caused. If Seph was right about Katie, then she must've been right about Charles, too. He sat up with Katie's help, although she didn't take her gaze off of the others for long, and when his dark blue eyes landed on Seph, he had nothing to say. He merely fell against her for a moment, perhaps mumbling something or just making a sound, and then got off of her before the two minute mark.

They didn't even need to speak and they understood each other, which was the deepest mystery they had been given to uncover about Seph.

* * *

Katie preferred to have her hair in a ponytail, and it didn't take very long for her and Charles to get back to their normal health. They had gladly answered any questions that people had, but their answers seemed to be the same as Seph's. They told everyone who asked that they had escaped from a bad place with bad people and ended up down by the river in their awful states. Eventually, they were up and moving and socializing much more than Seph had been, Katie seeming to be a very out-going girl while Charles kept more to himself, but followed his companion around. Seph smiled a little more with them around, but whenever they would sit alone together and they thought no one was looking, they'd have conversations that seemed to be far too deep for their fragile minds.

After awhile, Katie and Charles decided that if Seph was staying in the Guild, then they would join as well to stay with her. Mira had sewn some clothes for them in her spare time, showing off the soft side of herself once again. While they stayed in the infirmary for a bit, Laxus finally gave into his battling thoughts and offered them the spare room he had, in which they couldn't exactly turn the offer away when they had nowhere else to go and when Seph would be so close-by. No one was bothered by the new members, as new members piled in more and more every single day, but a question weighed down on a lot of their minds: where did they come from? No one dared to ask or continue asking because all they got in return was that they came from a bad place, with bad people who did bad things.

As long as they were safe and content, no one really minded.

It didn't stay that way.

It was the one day that Laxus had told them to head to the Guild ahead of him, promising that he'd be right behind them. He just needed to go and do something first and Katie had surprisingly memorized the way to the Guild much faster than Seph had, so the three of them agreed after Laxus gave Seph a quick pat on the head before going in a different directions. It was the one day, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, when they decided to pass through the park on the way to the Guild. They had gotten caught up in a small game of Frisbee with some kids after the small toy had hit Katie in the back as they walked.

Eventually, they just continued through the park and everything seemed fine. It was nice. It was calm. It was quiet. The park had been emptied out long since those kids ran off with their frisbee in hand.

Wait. No, it hadn't.

A small group of big men, their faces hidden in hoodies yet so vaguely familiar when Katie caught sight of them, shuffled down the path and one of them just happened to catch sight of the three friends, trying to subtly point them out to the others he was with. They slowly made their way over to them, slowly, and Katie paused, giving soft kicks to Seph and Charles' backs before continuing to walk. Seph, for the first time when Katie did that, let out a wince and the human girl made a mental note to think of something else to do when she needed to subtly aware her friends of lurking danger.

They seemed to get the hint and immediately took off, because of their tiny legs and limited magic. Katie continued walking casually until the men got too close and she was able to actually recognize their faces, taking off in a different direction from Seph and Charles. She couldn't afford to have all of them caught, if that's what these guys were here for. Her lungs burned, her feet slapping the pavement loudly, and she took a route that she remembered although it was a little isolated. Taking the back route, she went on and on before taking a sharp right and keeping the distance between them formidable. She almost tripped, staggering, but kept running although her lungs were screaming.

Before she knew it, she was swerving to cross the street before finding that she had taken a wrong turn somewhere, not knowing where to go. She couldn't keep running in an unknown direction, so she had to stop and found herself gasping for air even though she could hear the men behind her, still behind quite a bit. She turned to make sure that she didn't lose the little bit of familiarity in the area, crossing a different street while looking quite frantic… but there was a magic mobile, turning so sharply around the corner and going too quickly that it couldn't stop in time.

A sharp cry split the air, but quickly cut off as Katie rolled a few feet before stopping. Something crimson splattered across the pavement, the car slowing a bit before speeding on. By the time the group had surrounded her like wolves, they were far too late; Katie was already numb. She was aware of the pain, but it was faint, and her crumpled body laid there as it was beaten in even more. She had started crying at some point, but it was silent. The group scattered like a bunch of birds when yelling rang out through the air.

The darkness was creeping ever so closer, gently pushing her down as something sticky dripped out of her mouth and down onto the concrete below. The darkness was inviting her, and she accepted the invitation.


	14. Talk!

**A/N:** **Happy Canada Day from a proud Canadian, guys! Enjoy your day, eh?**

* * *

The shadows cut deeper. She awoke in that darkness and tried to touch something, but nothing was there. She tried to speak, but nothing was there. She tried to wake up, but nothing was there. She called for help, somehow, and didn't expect anything… but someone was there.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a dark hallway with the feeling that she shouldn't have been there. Yet, there she was, and another feminine figure with pale, porcelain skin, long bright blonde hair, and soft, gentle bright blue eyes was there as well. It felt faintly familiar. The figure stood at a very simple five feet and four inches, and was giving a very gentle smile.

She wasn't scared at all. This was a comforting presence, giving a very satisfying and gentle hug. She was lulled into security. This felt very, very familiar. It also felt precious. It was something to be protected. She drifted into nothingness as the figure's hands gently threaded through her hair, humming a familiar tune.

* * *

Katie woke slowly; quickly drawing in a deep breath and finding an annoying beeping near her ear. It sped up as she pulled herself awake, finding it to be like pulling herself above water. It was painfully slow progress. She couldn't see much right away, but her vision adjusted finely and she lifted a hand to rub at her face before she looked around, finding her back in the same place she had been only days before, and finding herself laughing at the familiar faces around her.

She just couldn't keep doing this, could she?

Something was nagging at the back of her mind, like some sort of hole in her memory. She was forgetting something, but she decided that it didn't matter when she found Charles and Seph both safe at either one of her sides. All she cared about was keeping others safe, and that's probably why she always ended up in these kinds of situations.

"… How long was I sleeping?" She asked softly, noting the IV drip at the side of the bed and pushing herself up to sit, although she needed a bit of help.

"Three days." Seph suddenly blurted out, gaining a bunch of looks as if she wasn't supposed to tell. She looked ashamed before she was given a pat on the head to be told that it was okay.

"You were in the hospital for a bit, Kat. Your wrist is sprained and two of your ribs are fractured, but that caused internal bleeding. They needed to… open you up to fix it. It's gonna scar." Charles explained with a soft voice for once. It was usually stern. "You have a minor concussion, too, and your leg is a little messed up as well."

"Wow…" Katie managed to get out, running her fingers down her side only to find stitches and wince, gaining a small slap on the hand from her companion. She then realized that she definitely did ache all over and she swallowed thickly, closing her eyes for a moment to take a deep, uninterrupted breath. "… I'm stupid, I know, you don't have to say it."

"Glad." Charles said simply, making her chuckle a bit although his voice had obviously shook when he spoke. He took a deep breath himself and Seph looked like she was trying to speak, but she couldn't, so he did for her. "Thanks." She knew what for and gave a small nod, although the couple of others in the room were so confused over the small exchange.

There was a pause before Seph took a shaky breath, one that scared those in the room because it either meant she was going to panic or she was going to cry. Upon seeing the look on her face, she was going to cry.

"… I-I… d-don't want to g-go b-back…" She got out softly. They had heard that many times before, but they still didn't know entirely what that meant. Katie reached forward ever so slightly, gently rubbing Seph's back, and she shook her head softly.

"We're… **not** going back, okay?" Katie told her, although she sounded a little unsure. Seph luckily didn't catch on like the rest of them did and she gave a small nod to Katie, putting her head in the human girl's lap and taking deep breaths as Katie continued to rub her back.

At some point, Seph had fallen asleep and questions were demanding answers… enough was enough.

"… Who hurt her?" Laxus started, his tone growling. Katie merely paused, rubbing at Seph's back before stopping and taking a deep breath that caught in her throat, making her cough. They would all wait as long as they needed for the answer and she knew that. She wasn't trying to stall, she just… didn't know how to talk about it and she didn't want Seph waking up.

"… I-I can't say his name." Katie finally got out. His name always stained her tongue and put a bad taste in her mouth, and Charles cringed from beside her, both of them looking ready to throw up. "But, we came from…" There was a pause as tears gathered in her eyes and Charles leaned against her to give her comfort, or maybe to bring some comfort to himself.

"You came from a bad place with bad people, right?" Mira asked softly, taking a seat on the other side of the bed. Katie paused before giving a small nod, and Mira suddenly grabbed her free hand gently, giving her a soft smile laced with kindness. "We need to know what that place is… and who those people are. We can't help otherwise. Seph doesn't want to talk about it, you don't want to either; we know that, but… We can't keep letting this happen…"

"It's only a matter of time before you end up straight back where you came from if you don't talk to us." Gray stated a little harshly from the corner, gaining a couple of harsh glares although he didn't dare to back down from his statement. There was a silent pause before Katie spoke up again.

"I know." She stated strongly, her voice shaking ever so slightly as she fought back her tears and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "… W-We came from… a-a…" She took a deep breath and finally just got it out, her voice shaking much more than before. "… A-A Dark Guild… c-called Chaos Phoenix…" There was another pause as Katie tried to think of what to say, but she really couldn't say much. She and Charles didn't know too much of what happened to Seph, and she had gotten the most pain out of the three of them. "… W-We were kept there a-against our will, a-as slaves, y'know? I-It's awful either way, but… S-Something happened to Seph w-with this Exceed in the top five Mages of the Guild and… sh-she's been so scared ever since. Sh-She escaped before we did without even telling us properly…"

Katie didn't know what else to say and didn't figure that she had to when a hand was placed gently on her back to comfort her. She sniffled, rubbing at her eyes to keep the tears from falling, and took a deep breath to try and stable herself.

"… She had a really bad nightmare once, before the last day of the **Grand Magic Games**." Gajeel reminded Laxus, although that had been nagging at him to ask about. He gave a stern nod, gritting his teeth, and everyone understood that he couldn't speak or he'd get far too angry. "This Exceed that hurt her, his name is Julian, isn't it?" Katie paused and gave a small nod. "Who's Erastos?" She paused again and took a deep breath before speaking, her voice not shaking as much as before. She was a little more comfortable now, feeling more accepted now that they knew and they hadn't freaked out like she thought they might've.

"Erastos is the Guild Master." She responded as strongly as she could before continuing. "A-And that's his name… the Exceed who hurt Seph…" She paused, feeling her throat close up with a sob and tears welling up into her eyes again. "… I-It was really bad…" She got the sob out and everyone leaned forward a bit, knowing that it was serious and trying not to pressure her. "O-One day, sh-she was smiling a-and calm… a-and then sh-she went m-missing f-for a week and wh-when we saw her a-again, sh-she just… sh-she was d-devoid of hope. Sh-She didn't smile, sh-she barely spoke… sh-she didn't let us t-touch her at all… h-hearing his name w-was like hearing the world was g-going to end…"

Laxus gripped his hand too hard with the other and his nails cut into his gripped hand, causing it to bleed. He let out a wince through his gritted teeth and pulled his hands apart; letting them rest against the bed as Wendy quickly grabbed some bandages for him and gently took his hand to wrap it. They all understood his anger, honestly and completely. They were angry, too.

"… You're not going back." Erza got out, strong and absolute. Everyone gave stern nods alongside her as she got to her feet. "I'm going to talk to the Master, if that's okay?" Katie paused before giving a small nod and Erza nodded back, heading to the door.

"Just…!" Katie got out quickly and not too loudly, catching Erza's attention. "… D-Don't… Don't mention it around Seph, please… She's finally smiling again and talking about it, it's just… it'll destroy her all over again…"

They wouldn't let that happen.

* * *

A cold ghost of air was sliding up Seph's back, signaling that the covers she had been placed under were pulled back. She had waked up quite suddenly from the dream she had been having, taking a deep breath to balance herself. The bed shifted from someone's weight and something cold slid under the blanket beside her, causing her to stifle a jump and sit halfway up, blinking to adjust to the brightness in the room.

"… Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

It was Lily, out of all people. Katie was asleep on the other side of her with Charles in her arms, Laxus sleeping in a chair at the side of the bed. Everyone else was gone, so why wasn't he…? He had frozen with his voice quiet yet wavering a bit. Seph paused before shaking her head a bit, moving to make room for him and allowing him to crawl up beside her and fling his arms around her. She got out a yawn before putting her arms around him and gently rubbing his back.

"… What's going on…?" She asked softly, gaining a small hum from Lily as her shrugged in response. It wasn't very late, gathering from the light outside… or maybe it was just pretty early. That might've been it.

"I just want to make sure that you're doing alright." Lily finally got out, sounding fairly tired.

Seph couldn't blame him and merely hummed a bit with a small nod, running a hand gently over the back of his ribs, shoulder blades, and then down his spine, letting out a light laugh when he shivered from how gentle she was. Eventually, he relaxed and his grip loosened before she started to ease out of his arms, in which he immediately tightened his grip on her all over again. She didn't really mind, but his hands were shaking as if he was afraid to let her go and that worried her. She gently gave his hand a squeeze and rested her head against his shoulder, deciding to stay in place.

With a sigh, she contemplated the blankets for far longer than she should have before letting out a huff and sitting up, finding Lily's head in her lap and his arms just holding onto her waist as if she was going to fly away at any given moment. He looked really tired, but also surprisingly peaceful, and she couldn't help but gently run a hand over his cheek, gaining a small hum of appreciation. He looked a little pale, probably from the lack of sleep he must've gotten, and gave a soft smile as she ran her fingers through his fur, encouraged by his soft hums and sighs of content. The stress seemed to leave his body with every touch and he looked ready to fall asleep, but Seph had slept enough by then. She was just… a little out of it.

"… Something up with you…?" Lily questioned softly, gaining a light scoff from her because he had caught on so quickly. She paused, running her fingers through his fur a little slower before stopping altogether, and then she nodded a bit.

"… It's stupid." She told him, but he shook his head, leaning back a little bit to look up at her. It wouldn't be stupid to him, that's what he was trying to tell her, but she couldn't help but feel like it would be. Nonetheless, she needed someone to talk to… and really, Lily was the only one who had opened up to listening to her about her problems and such. "… I've always been afraid of what people would think of me, of my body and if I allowed them to see, and I guess I just… S-Something that happened awhile bad, I wasn't expecting it and every time I think about everything, it just… triggers all of my bad feelings at once."

There was a pause before Lily turned onto his back, his head still resting in her lap, and his hand found hers, squeezing it gently.

"You're absolutely wonderful, inside and out. You don't have to worry when you're with any of us." He told her, his voice soft yet stern enough for her to tell that he wasn't lying.

That was the part that threw her off so much, the fact that he **wasn't lying**.

She blinked back tears and carefully lifted his hand up to brush her lips against it, holding onto it as if he'd shatter and never come back. She took a deep breath and gave a small nod, glad that he allowed her to lie back down in order for the both of them to get some well-needed rest. Her head found his shoulder and nestled there, his arms wrapping loosely around her waist and her own resting across his chest.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Seph felt safe and comfortable.


	15. Storm

**A/N:** **I'm with my Mom in the hospital. She's in labor and the baby should be here soon, so no worries! I'll be back before you know it, but here's the chapter y'all!**

* * *

It was about half an hour before noon.

Everyone was relaxed and chatting away, multiple people taking jobs from the board and heading out, but many people found themselves glancing at Seph from the corners of their eyes. She was simply reading a book, but she was hopelessly absorbed in its words. She made the slightest shift between expressions as she read, but she always went back to a small, contented smile. No one wanted to bother her because she had never been so calm and content before, in their eyes at least.

But Levy slowly turned toward Seph's direction and locked her sight on the young Exceed, standing up and finding her way over to her. Her team was seated around her as if they were bodyguards, but they allowed Levy to sit down in order to talk to Seph.

"That book seems a bit big for someone so small." Levy stated, although she wasn't trying to be rude. She was actually impressed that Seph could be so focused on all of the little words that ran across the big pages and tried to keep her smile soft so the Exceed would know that she didn't mean harm.

"I've read it before." Seph told her without any wavering in her voice, not lifting her gaze from the pages. "It's one of my favourites." Levy leaned over a bit to take a look at the title, finding it to be one of the first fictions ever created, with millions of copies sold although they had gone missing over the years: "Reach of the Heavens".

"Oh! I've read it before as well, it's good!" Levy agreed, gaining a small nod from Seph before she continued speaking. "Did you find it in the library?" Seph gave her another nod. "Where did you read it before?" There was a pause before Seph replied.

"There was a library where I came from, full of ancient books. This was the only fiction, so…" Seph trailed off a bit, gaining a nod in response from Levy before the human girl shifted to look at the pages with the Exceed. Seph was still on chapter one, but she had probably just started reading it all over again.

"Where did you learn how to read?" Levy asked, gaining a pause and then a reply.

"… My Dad taught me when I was little." Seph responded softly, seeming more intrigued by the book than before. Levy decided not to question about the Exceed's family because of it.

"So, you know how…?" Levy questioned, bringing a small silence before Seph flipped back to the first page, took a breath, and started reading out loud.

"It befell in the days of King Ranulf, when he was the one and only king of Cesel and so reigned foolishly. There was another mighty king in Meiric that held war against him for an unfairly amount of time, called the King of Churhera. So by means, King Ranulf sent for the King of Churhera in Meiric, challenging him to bring his beloved daughter, for she was a fair lady and a passing wise, and her name was Einar. When the King of Churhera from Meiric arrived in Cesel, his daughter Einar by his side, her eyes met the ones that she peer into forever. They were the ones of a knight by the name of Nicol."

Levy went quiet after that, as did Seph after flipping the pages back to the spot she left off, and they both sat reading from the pages silently. There was a small smirk on Levy's face form there on out, even though she had been the one proven wrong.

* * *

Seph had been pulled out into town without Evergreen to help her out with clothes shopping, even though the Exceed wasn't one for judging people by their looks. She was allowed to take her book, so she went, and after about an hour of wandering around for Evergreen to pick up a whole pile of clothes to try on, Seph found herself reading on a bench outside of some dressing rooms and constantly giving Evergreen either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. Multiple people walked by without an issue of the Exceed and her teammate, but one woman had been standing around for too long for Seph to remain comfortable.

At some point, while Evergreen was changing, Seph found her book being ripped out of her tiny hands by said woman, her face twisting into confusion.

"What the hell is this?" The woman asked, and Seph really didn't know what to say. She didn't know this woman… but she knew that mark on her arm that she thought she was hiding so well and she lost her breath, unable to reply. She couldn't even think and God, how she wished that Evergreen would hurry up. Without a response, the woman threw her book onto the ground by a trashcan before rolling up her sleeves as if she was preparing for a fight. "Whatever, I have orders."

Seph's eyes went wide, but there was no other reaction from her because she was shaking so badly.

But then, she was grabbed by the shoulders and couldn't stop herself from letting out a bloodcurdling scream that pierced the air. The lights went out as the woman yelled at her to shut up, digging her nails into the screaming Exceed's shoulders. A door swung open somewhere, from where Seph couldn't tell because she had closed her eyes moments ago due to her fear of the dark and of being taken back to the awful place she had escaped merely months ago, and the hands were off of her shoulders moments later, finding herself almost being thrown onto the ground. She was screaming and sobbing, even as she crawled around little by little on the ground.

Moments later, the lights came back on to reveal that the woman had disappeared. No one had noticed that Seph's screams had stopped until they realized that she and her book, both previously on the ground, were gone as well.

* * *

Seph had calmed down enough moments ago, just enough to be semi-aware of her surroundings and finding herself in a part of Magnolia that she didn't recognize. Her shoulders were bleeding thanks to that woman, who she recognized now but didn't dare even think of her name, and she was lost in a part of the city that she'd never been in before, small and wandering.

She stared at the ground underneath her, heavy rain having started right after she and Evergreen entered the store she came from, and she sighed a bit upon finding that her boots were scuffed. She was covered in mud because she had tripped at some point when she was running and there was blood not only coming from her shoulders, staining her pink jumper, but also coming from her knees. Well, she **had** re-opened a wound on her right knee, so it made sense that it would be throbbing worse than the other one was…

She found herself sighing at herself. It had been four months since she removed herself from an awful part of her life, and yet it was still as if the person she once trusted most would show up at any minute and scream at her for being an awful excuse of an Exceed. He might've even taken her back if he did show up… That's what that woman was going to do, she was quite sure of it. She had orders, after all.

Nonetheless, with her book clutched tightly in her arms, Seph trudged onward through the thick, heavy rain without her glasses because she had dropped them when she ended up on the ground at the store. That wasn't going to stop her, though… She was going to persevere.

* * *

"What do you mean that you **lost** her!?" Laxus asked with his voice raised at Evergreen for the first time in a long time. The panting woman had ran all the way back to the Guild after the incident, in her damn high heels, to report that Seph was missing and all that was left behind was her glasses.

"I **mean** what I **said**!" Evergreen shouted back, trying to catch her breath and not having a moment to with all of the attention on her. A Guild member was missing, so of course everyone would be concerned. "This woman who had been hanging around suddenly grabbed her and the lights went off so I couldn't see anything, but I **know** that I got to that excuse of a woman before the lights came back on! She disappeared right out of my grasp and Seph had been on the ground, but she and her book were gone when the lights came back on, so I think she ran, but she dropped her glasses and—"

"Calm down before you kill yourself with lack of breath." Freed advised, in which Evergreen immediately sat down at the table. Her feet were **aching** from running in her heels, but she couldn't care less with Seph lost and alone in the city, in the **middle of a** _ **storm**_!

A huge group of people had gathered around within the couple of minutes she had returned, all of them worried for the Guild mate's well-being and all of them seeming to be thinking one exact thing at the same time: find her. Freed found himself sitting Laxus down before his rage broke his own bones, rubbing his back to keep his as calm as necessary.

"She's out there, alone and lost, in the middle of a storm." Freed repeated, gaining a nod from Evergreen as she ran a hand through her hair. She obviously felt awful. "This woman, was there a reason she grabbed Seph of all people?" Evergreen paused before speaking.

"She said something about having orders, I heard it. She had this mark on her arm, a little hidden, probably from a Guild." Evergreen explained before taking a deep breath. "She was probably from a Dark Guild, I didn't even think, I just…"

Katie suddenly came hobbling forward with a limp from her still sprained ankle, sitting down at a table nearby with Charles right beside her. They looked just as concerned for their friend, but they questioned if it was another Dark Guild working under Chaos Phoenix of if it was them.

"What did she look like?" Katie questioned, gaining an instant reply.

"Her hair was short and blonde, her eyes a weird brown, and she was **really** fast." Evergreen got out right away, gaining a small nod from Katie and Charles as they exchanged looks. "Do you know who she is?"

"Ninian, she's the fourth of the top five members of Chaos Phoenix, who's known as the quickest person in the Guild and the stealthiest. She probably teleported out of there somehow…" Katie explained softly before quickly looking up from looking down at her lap. "I don't think she got Seph, though, considering that you said Seph was on the ground and that her book was gone and her glasses left behind. Ninian doesn't care for literature."

"So, she's out there in the middle of the storm for sure?" Happy asked, his voice laced with worry.

The moment Katie nodded; everyone basically got into a circle and started laying down a plan to search the city for the small Exceed. It would be a little tedious with her height and dull fur, but considering that she was wearing pink, they should be able to spot her even with the storm coming in heavily. No one wasted a moment after being given sections of the city to search, setting out immediately to go and investigate. Katie and Charles would stay with some of the others in the Guild due to Katie's injuries and if Seph managed to make it back.

* * *

Seph looked up at the sky from the alleyway. The rain was falling pretty heavily now and was clearly not going to let up anytime soon, the streets flooding quickly, and she wondered if it would snow. Maybe it would even become a blizzard with her luck. She read a sign in front of her on a building and found out that it was the city library, brightening her mood as she ran across the flooded streets. She stumbled here and there, but didn't fall to the ground once before running straight inside the big doors, finding it quite familiar. She had been in the Guild's library, but this?

This was the biggest library Seph had ever had the privilege to lay her eyes on.

Seph was soaked to the bone, panicking a little bit, but didn't dare to worry about it for too long.

"May I, um… help you?"

She flinched and turned sharply to find the librarian leaning over her desk, staring down at her with warm brown eyes and a soft, confused smile. Seph calmed down a little bit, but still found herself being on edge. The librarian stood up and came around her desk to greet Seph properly, but the Exceed moved away a little bit.

"N-No… I-I'm okay…" Seph told her softly, gaining a small nod in return before the library clasped her hands together over her stomach. "I-I was… j-just t-taking a w-walk…"

"Taking a walk, in this weather?" The librarian asked with a small chuckle, kneeling down to Seph's height the best she could in her long skirt. Seph gave a small nod, gaining another soft chuckle from the kind woman in front of her. "You're awfully soaked. Did you walk from the other side of the city?"

Seph wasn't sure, but she knew that the librarian meant it as a joke and felt kind of bad by nodding. She was a little sure that she had walked quite far, into a part of the city she didn't know altogether, and the librarian let out a soft gasp. Almost immediately, the librarian asked the Exceed to follow her, leading the small girl to a sofa and ordering her to sit down. Seph immediately sat down, her legs aching and knees throbbing, and her head telling her to obey before she got hurt even worse. The librarian left and came back multiple times, each time bringing something new. She brought towels to help Seph dry off, bandages (even helping Seph bandage up her knees and shoulders, and then a bottle of water.

Seph appreciated it and found herself returning to her book after a bit, finding the silence to be much more comforting than anything else at the moment.

* * *

"Did any of you find her!?" Levy shouted in order to be heard over the howling storm over Magnolia.

"She's wasn't at home!" Freed responded, pushing his soaking wet hair out of his face.

"Then where **is** she?!" Natsu screamed, flicking his hair around only to soak everyone more than they already were. "She's not **anywhere**!"

"Is there anywhere else she could be?" Wendy asked desperately, gaining silence from the others in return.

"Maybe there are some clues about which direction she went when she left the store?" Freed offered, gaining some hums in agreement. Levy tried to think of something; anything, and then she remembered something.

"Guys!" She exclaimed, gaining their attentions. "Remember what Evergreen said, about the lights going off?"

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Natsu shouted in exasperation, gaining a shaking head from Levy.

"The power went out!" Levy told him, gaining silence from the others.

"To repeat what Natsu said, _**what does that have to do with anything**_!?" Happy screamed over the howling wind.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting!?" Lily questioned, in which Gajeel let out a yell because he didn't understand.

"I think we should try it." Erza said suddenly. "We don't have any other options right now. We'll follow the dead lights."

"We should hold onto each other so we don't get swept away!" Levy offered, having Wendy immediately latch onto her arm.

"Maybe you can make some rope or something!? We can tie ourselves together so it's more difficult for us to get separated!" Gajeel explained, gaining a bunch of surprised hums.

"Gajeel, that idea is actually **not** stupid!" Erza complimented as Levy made some rope with her Solid Script Magic, gaining a yell of "what does that mean!?" from Gajeel before they all started tying themselves together. "Now let's go!"

Natsu lit a fire to brighten up their path, Erza started to lead the way for them.

They had a Guildmate to find.

* * *

Seph couldn't believe that it had only been two hours since she arrived at the library. It felt like it had been much longer. Maybe it was because it was dark outside… No, it was the memories. When Ninian had grabbed her, it felt like she was back in time to when she was so stupid to trust the one person who hurt her most again. Everything became like those days all over again, he was even…

She shook her head and focused back on her book, taking a deep breath to ground herself. She really didn't want to think about it, not even thinking about thinking about it. She was here, alone in a library with rain falling and wind howling…

She was going to embrace the calm silence.

* * *

The ten Fairy Tail members huddled close together by Barren Bridge, shivering from the cold rain that had already soaked them to the bone. They would most likely get colds after this, but they couldn't care less. The way was blocked by abandoned mobile vehicles and emergency vehicles, and Natsu had to use both fists to light the way for them.

"I want to go home, but I don't want to go home, and I don't know what I want!" Wendy whined as she latched onto Levy's shoulders.

"Same here!" Happy yelled from the back of the line.

"We **can't** give up yet!" Erza told them. "We just have to cross this bridge and keep following the trail of darkness until we find Seph! It's easy!"

"This entire thing would have been a **lot** easier if Salamander had lit up the both of his fists right away!" Gajeel complained, gaining a growl from Natsu.

"Shut up!" Natsu yelled, in which both men gained an exasperated sigh from Levy.

"Guys, stop fighting, please." She whined a bit. "We're already going to die, either out here by being swept away or Master's going to kill us all, but we have to keep moving!"

The members tightened the ropes and stepped on the walking path on the side of the bridge, continuing on. They were closer to their destination than they thought and once they reached a still-lit streetlight, they found it… the Magnolia library. Needless to say, they weren't very surprised.

"Of course… She's hiding in a library, of course, because she's **Seph**." Gajeel muttered, gaining a smack from Levy behind him. "She's probably perfectly fine."

"She's probably here to distract herself from what happened." Laxus argued lowly. "When Seph is stressed, she tends to distract herself so she can clear her head and such. Just because she doesn't always show it, that doesn't mean that she's not hurting."

Nonetheless, they all piled inside and brought floodwater in with them, working on untying themselves as the librarian stood up and hurried over to the group.

"Let me guess, you were just taking a walk." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. They all gave her confused looks and she shook her head a bit. "A cat came in earlier, real upset… She seems to have calmed down since then, though."

"We're Exceeds, actually." Carla corrected, although the librarian didn't seem to care for the statement, merely giving a small apology.

Once they got themselves free of the tightly knotted rope, they took a look around and spotted Seph curled up on the sofa under a couple of towels, reading her book from earlier and seeming quite content despite the situation. They made their way over to her carefully and Seph merely looked up briefly, a dull expression on her face, before returning to her book.

"… You found me." She stated softly, her voice flat and cold. It was the first time that they had heard her speak in such a way.

"Of course we did. You're pretty tough, though, coming all the way over here on your own in this awful storm." Erza told her as the ten of them piled around, all of them soaked straight down to their bones and probably in the midst of catching awful colds.

"I've been through worse." Seph told them, her voice going a little soft. She then turned the page, curling in on herself more as Laxus sat down on the couch beside her. "… Now please go away."

They all sat down to make a point, a couple of them on the couch and a couple of them on the ground, and they all shook their heads, water dripping off of them and down onto the carpeted ground.

"If we leave, you're coming with us." Laxus told her, but she immediately shook her head.

"Why should I leave?" Seph argued, tears building in her eyes. "I have books to protect me. I touch no one and **no one touches me**. It's perfect."

"You can't stay here forever. We would miss you." Wendy said softly, smiling as gently as she could. Seph didn't mean to, but she yelled.

"That's a **lie**!" She yelled hoarsely, causing Wendy to jump. There was pause as Seph curled in on herself more, looking ashamed but continuing to speak. "No one in their right mind would miss me."

"Then none of us are in our right mind." Lily countered from her other side. "All of us trudged through floodwater to get here and bring you back. Everyone is worried about you, and it's really sad that you can't see it."

There was a pause as Seph merely read and everyone sat around, dripping wet from rainwater and shivering from the drops because of the warm atmosphere in the library, and then Seph spoke up again.

"I know that everyone is worried…" She whispered, obviously no longer paying attention to her book. She just couldn't. "It just… doesn't feel like it. You'd be better off if you didn't care." She paused before continuing. "I can't stop you from feeling what you do, just as you can't stop me from feeling what I do."

"That wouldn't work out." Lily told her, bringing her to finally look up from her book and at him. "You're one of the nicest people I've ever met, you're so smart that you can read big books that I wouldn't even dare to pick up, you have a really cute smile, and—"

"You can stop now." Seph choked out. "I'm an awful person, okay? You don't have to lie."

"He's not lying." Levy countered.

Seph just really didn't know how to respond, looking back down at her book. There was an uncomfortable silence before Seph whispered again.

"… They won't stop coming for me." She told them, and although she didn't know it, they knew what she was talking about. "… They're just twisted like that…" They were silent again.

"You **do** know that we're all friends, right?" Lily asked her, watching as her forest green eyes lifted to meet his orange ones. She really didn't know and it actually made him laugh a bit because he thought that she had known. "We're all Guild mates, and that means friends. Everyone is searching for you right now, in the middle of this awful storm."

There was a long pause as Seph stared at him before looking back down at her book, and then curling up under the towels she had been given as if she was trying to disappear. Her cheeks had gone a light pink, and they supposed that was a good thing at the moment.

"… Thanks…" She mumbled ever so slightly, gaining a chorus of hums and some nods.

"Just… don't ever scare Laxus like that again. He was raging so much that we thought he would destroy the Guild." Levy told her, watching as she paused to look up at the blonde man, who had turned away from her, and then as a smile split across her face. The laugh that left her throat was soft and angelic, and she let herself fall against Laxus' leg despite his pants being soaked.

Seph let herself be picked up, too tired to protest, and honestly… she was ready to return to the Guild that she loved so much. They didn't care what she had done or where she came from, they just cared for **her**.

That was all she needed.


	16. Far Too Serious

This job was given by the council for the upcoming weekend, and it was **mandatory** that they do it because they had been given the proper trust. There was an upcoming meeting between some authorities on Saturday and even with their most trusted workers on the job, the council was concerned of the rise in Dark Guilds striking recently, and especially with some sort of event happening that was sure to either stay peaceful or turn into a riot.

She didn't want to do it, but if she didn't go, there would be trouble. She didn't want to be in the middle of a city with a whole bunch of people, responsibility weighing on her shoulders, and the possible chance of the wrong people showing up. What were they to the council, dogs!? Actually, they probably were… Wow, that made her feel **so** much better. Hint the sarcasm.

Thinking about it wouldn't help… They still had to do it. It was getting cooler again after the summer heat, so at least they wouldn't be standing around boiling their heads off. Maybe they'd just freeze their butts off, considering that they had to be there at an early 9:00am and stand around to make sure nothing suspicious happened or to report anything that might happen.

"Is the backup in place?" A woman with long, wavy blonde hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail questioned over a magic device, her gray-blue eyes darting around as other officers did. She was the lead of the older unit, so she was in charge. That was a lot of responsibility on a woman with a family.

"Both of the units are ready to be deployed in any case of emergency, ma'am." A man with long, straight brown hair answered over from the other side, his baby blue eyes wandering over the silent little crowd that had gathered.

He really should've been paying attention to his unit more, honestly, as he was the lead of the younger unit and had the responsibility of keeping these newbies on their feet. He was responsible for getting the home, and he scratched at the invisible skin under his small brown beard that was growing. He wouldn't forget that first words on of the newbies had given to him: "It's a female Jesus". He wasn't female, but he laughed anyways.

"And if both units should fail, Officer Rovia Monroe?" The woman questioned, her voice wavering only so slightly that he could notice. Her expression was solemn and her eyes had a far-off look as if she was questioning whether she would be able to go home and eat dinner with her lovely, pregnant wife and her three children. There was a pause before Rovia responded.

"I don't believe that will happen, Jo." He reassured her, keeping a calm smile on his face as he stood in front of the big back doors. She was on front with her unit, he was on back with his unit, and a Magic Guild was guarding everything else. "I doubt it, but if it does happen… the Council is more than prepared to do their unrelenting part."

Jo nodded, satisfied, before getting off of the other line to take a deep breath. The morning breeze was colder than it had been, that was for sure, but the air was still warm… It was still okay for now. Rachelle and Liz were at each one of her sides, giving her determined looks and stern nods, Rachelle even sending a soft smile. Erin would be staying at home today, watching from the Lacrima screens, because morning sickness had really gotten to her and Jo didn't have to worry because Jameisha would take care of her pregnant Mother no matter the strain on herself. Her younger brothers would behave because they knew how to follow orders, just like good little officers. They wanted to join the force someday… Jo didn't know how to feel about that, but she figured that Erin must be feeling that way about her being in the force all the time. Sias and Chephira were inside, guarding the most important room and knowing Chephira, probably hacking into the system to bring the security complications back into full-force.

Rovia didn't worry about her and her unit. He didn't have to. He had his own unit to attend to, even when he was merely standing in front of a door. Tara and Spencer were on either side of him and Kadin had made her way to the roof by now as their little sniper in case things **really** went wrong. The crowd was steadily growing, but he didn't really mind all of the signs and chatting that was going on. He saw multiple blonde heads, a mix of skin tones, and a mix of ages all running around. The oldest at the moment had to be in their twenties, while the youngest appeared to be an eight year old boy.

These people were his responsibility and that was his weight to carry, not his unit's. Not Jo's. It was his.

* * *

Abner wasn't one for these kinds of things, especially not while he was babysitting for strict parents. It was just a friendly protest against the council, yah, but… His sign was plain white and he had a dark red marker in his hand as he contemplated what to write while Roland, the eight year old boy he was babysitting, ran around with his other markers and drew on people with their permission.

At some point, he caught sight of a boy with tanned sepia brown skin who was wearing a white hat to stand out, all decorated in bright colors and running around with his husky dog as if he was Roland's age… in reality, he was probably about ten years older than Roland. His parents stood nearby, a couple of signs with them and a very much decorated bike that probably belonged to their son.

He caught sight of a tall boy with short ginger hair and dark brown eyes who was standing with a shorter boy who had shaggy, unkempt brown hair and bright blue eyes, both of their signs showing off rainbow flags and posted pictures of their happy times on one side, while on the other read: "If we can't choose for our future, neither can you." It seemed fair enough to him.

He then saw a tall teenage boy in a wheelchair who sported chin-length, extremely wavy dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. His wheelchair was decorated and the back pouch held multiple signs, and he was smiling to a younger girl beside him who must've been his sister. She was short, around five feet (with Abner being nice about it), and had shoulder-length dirty braided blonde hair with bright gray-blue eyes. She seemed content just standing by him, but also looked liked she was probably that one quiet kid in class who could snap out and be very aggressive at any point.

There was a girl with bright blonde hair, also braided, and bright blue eyes who merely stood in the back, her sign down for the moment, but Abner knew she would raise it right away when the protest started. She carried a small, peaceful smile and yet her bright blue eyes were full of determination to find rights in their country.

Then, there was a girl with tanned brown skin and dark brown hair with red/ginger streaks that came down to her mid-back, wavy and in a mess but still looking incredible. Her eyes were a striking hazel green and she was standing with a boy who had short, unkempt dirty blonde hair and soft chocolate brown eyes. He wore small glasses and was about her height, although he seemed older than her despite his baby-ish round face. With them was a pair of woman, one with chin-length, straight black hair and hazel brown eyes and the other with long, wavy dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. They both looked very different, but they were here for the same reason: civil rights.

The last pair of people that caught Abner's eyes was a pair of teenaged kids, one a girl and one a boy. The boy had long, wavy, soft-looking brown hair and blue eyes that matched the girl's, although her hair was bright blonde, straight and reached her mid-back. They both smiled at each other before their expressions went neutral upon looking back out at the crowd.

Eventually, Abner found his hand moving to make a statement on his sign as soon as Roland came running back with his other markers. He drew a certain flag on the back of his sign and as soon as the protest was ready to begin, he allowed Roland to climb onto his shoulders and sit there, helping Abner hold up his proud sign: "It's gotten bad! People with anxiety are protesting!"

The number of people grew and grew, increasing in number with every second. Hours and hours were invested into this, into their civil rights, and they were here together because they had to fight; because they didn't know how to die quietly. By the time the crowd numbered up to nearly thousands from across the nation, each side equal in numbers.

And then suddenly, there was a bang the caused Abner to pull Roland down, covering him the best he could. A scream rang out, and Abner wasn't sure if it was his or not.

All Hell broke loose.

* * *

Katie was leaning forward on the couch, completely absorbed in the breaking newscast of what had gone down in an authority meeting between the council. She didn't even notice that Seph was watching from around the corner, in which she shouldn't have been because she knew that sudden news worried her an awful lot.

"We are live from where a riot has just calmed down after breaking out between protestors, but we'll go to Officer Joanna Anderson. What's happened over here, Officer Anderson?"

A Female Officer in her late thirties appeared in front of a crowd of people that seemed to just be calming down.

"Well, after dangerous gunshots were fired by a member of what appears to be a Dark Guild, my partner, Rovia Pendleton, and I gathered our units and broke out into the riot, stopping the shooter and calling medical experts onto the field due to a twenty-three year old college student and part-time babysitter Bailey Caelum, preferred name Abner, was shot protecting an eight year old boy whose name I cannot release under the family's protection. The member who shot is currently being held on attempted murder charges, and Abner is currently in the hospital in reportedly stable condition."

Seph nearly collapsed, although she wasn't very surprised that they had aimed for an eight year old boy. They'd take out anyone, even a toddler if they had to…

"Thankfully for many here today, they are safe and sound as my partner and I's units are going around offering any help citizens might need. A lot of people came here today, protesting because it was a very personal event for them. To see it go downhill… I'm truly sorry us as a force couldn't do much more than we did."

As the interview went on, Seph crept into the hallway and just sat down with her book in her arms, unsure of whether to read it or to just sit there. She decided to, in fact just sit there and think.

Things had gotten serious and she could still hear the TV.

"With some questioning, it turns out that this Dark Guild has sent out more than one attack in the past four months. We're not sure what they're up to, but it appears that they have a goal. We'll do everything we can to figure out that goal."

Things had gotten **far** too serious.


	17. Some Down Time

Laxus was very confused when he arrived home to a kitchen full of baking supplies and cooling cookies. He took a seat at the table with watching as Katie moved back and forth, Seph merely reading her book as if she was immensely stressed and didn't want to talk to Katie… Katie seemed the same, honestly, now that he took a closer look. She suddenly placed a plate of cookies down in front of him; nearly making him flinch with how sudden it was before she rushed back to work.

"The cookies are chocolate chip." She told him, pulling a tray of more cookies out of the oven before putting a different tray of cookies into the oven. So, basically, more damn cookies. "There are also peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch cookies, cinnamon cookies, a mix of butterscotch and cinnamon cookies, and weird coconut cream ones because I wanted to try the recipe. Beware. Let me know if you need anything."

"… Are you stress-baking?" Laxus questioned, hearing the front door open. It was only the Raijinshuu coming in from their little argument outside and he felt sorry for them when they suddenly stopped outside of the kitchen, all three of them making different sounds. Charles came in from the other room with a book in hand, putting it down beside Seph before sitting down beside it, letting it keep some space between the pair of them.

"Yes and no." Katie responded with a sigh, finally pausing in place for a moment and motioning for the other to sit at the table. They did so, out of fear that Katie's cookie rath might kill them if they didn't. "Some of it is… for comfort." There was a pause as they all took into mind what she might've meant. "It's not every day that a Dark Guild shoots a peacefully protesting twenty-three year old who ended up in the hospital because he protected the eight year old that was originally targeted, for some reason."

Oh. Yah, the Guild's were notified of that. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to give Katie free-range of his house, Laxus thought, but he didn't want her to stay cooped up in her and Charles' room all day. Seph finished her book, passing it to Charles and picking up the next one. She immediately started reading and Charles just kind of… sat there, holding the book she had just finished before putting it down where her newly-started book had been. Did Seph stress-read?

"For the record, I didn't know Seph was watching from around the corner. She's very stealthy and quiet, and she takes sudden news very badly." Katie explained before looking around at the kitchen. "… And maybe I take sudden news very badly as well."

A chorus of "uh-huh" from Laxus and the Raijinshuu, plus Charles, rose into the air just as the timer dinged, calling for Katie to pull out her next batch of chocolate chip cookies. She seemed down with baking for now, which was a relief, but Seph hadn't even greeted Laxus when he arrived. She looked like she was thinking too hard… She had been on that first page for about a minute now, which was a new slow record for her. There was a long silence, in which everyone at the table took a chocolate chip cookie to start on destroying Katie's cookie-streak, before the small Exceed finally spoke up.

"It was them. It had to be them." She stated quickly, far too fast for her to even be remotely calm in this situation. This was probably her way of telling her partner and her team that the bad place she came from had been a Dark Guild, and she was shaking quite a bit. "They've never had anyone escape before so they're coming after us because we left and we're going to get caught and killed or worse and—"

"Calm down." Charles cut her off, gaining a pair of flapping paws slapping against his shoulder. They were weak, so he didn't even flinch, but he knew that Seph was far too stressed out. She was terrified.

"They shot someone; don't tell me to calm down because I could be the one with a bullet in my shoulder within the next hour—"

"You have to chill."

"I can't "chill", Charles!"

Seph went silent after that, holding her head in her hands and staring down at the pages of her newly-started book that probably hadn't even been started due to her stress. She was freaking out and no one knew what to do, honestly. She wasn't in the right state of mind right now and she was sitting things out, but luckily she wasn't completely losing her mind.

"Even if it was them, they wouldn't get anywhere near any of you." Laxus merely stated, leaving no room for arguing as he continued. "The Guild wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let that happen."

Even if Seph didn't seem to calm down for another couple of minutes, when she finally seemed to go back to actually reading the book in her lap, she was thinking over things calmly. She knew that the Guild was protective of their own, but she was still paranoid of what the outcome would be if they had to negotiate. They might even have to fight, what if they had to go to war!?

She didn't know of the mysterious forces behind everything that happened, but she knew that she didn't like to be scared. She was done being scared and even though she was so determined, she couldn't find the will to stay calm in these kinds of hectic situations.

She felt lost.

* * *

Seph sat up on her elbows and blinked, finally and for sure hearing the knocking at the front door. Judging from the groan Laxus gave, she could tell that he was waking up and gave a small yawn, sitting up properly as her partner pushed himself up onto his feet to go and get the door. The Raijinshuu had ended up passing out in the living room last night with some pillows and blankets, and the rest of them simply slept where they usually did: in their rooms.

She let out another yawn as she just sat there, hearing Laxus open the door and things go silent. Shouldn't there have been talking…? Maybe they were just being quiet. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the deal, honestly… She wanted to go back to sleep and despite her overwhelming curiosity, plus never-ending schedule, she managed to lie back down and drift off.

Apparently, her never-ending schedule actually had an end.

* * *

The sky above was blue and nearly cloudless, despite the raging storm that went on a couple of nights before. Seph felt much better than the night before as well, going out into town with her whole team and even meeting up with Erza and Lucy at some point. It was a good time while it lasted, and eventually they all just went to the Guild. No one dared to comment on Seph's absence the days before or the big search they went through, but she knew that they were thinking about it and she felt a little uneasy over it. Nonetheless, Seph found herself talking to Mira by herself and having a simple conversation as she worked, just sitting by so she didn't get in the way at all. Eventually, Mira mentioned a museum of some sort in a city nearby and Seph was intrigued, starting a whole new conversation about said museum with her team when they came and sat down. At some point, Levy had come over and told them that she had wanted to visit the museum at some point. A whole group of people were just pulled straight into the conversation and before they knew it, everyone was making plans to go there and Mira was packing some snacks for them with a content smile.

Seph didn't really mind. She wanted to visit the museum, but she wanted to go home and change first. The blood stains on her jumper hadn't come out…

Upon heading home, Seph decided to switch into an outfit that she had picked up earlier upon shopping in the town a bit. It was a black tank top and a pair of blue jean shorts, keeping her white socks except folding them down, and a pair of little orange running shoes with black velcro and some black laces that she had to tie around her ankle so they didn't drag on the ground. It was a complex shoe design, but she liked it… She slipped on a white sweater shirt with a green pocket in the front, two green stripes on the top of the sleeves and green edging it over top of her shirt before deciding that this was a good outfit despite the bandages on her knee being exposed. The bandages on her arms and her ankle were covered, after all…

She grabbed her necklace from underneath her sweater shirt and let it lay on top, out in the open for once. There was no point in hiding anything anymore. She just… couldn't talk about stuff yet.

And that was okay.

It took a simple hour

* * *

to get to the museum in the next city, but that was okay. They just had to take the train and walk a bit, although the train part kind of threw a couple people off. Namely, the Dragon Slayers that had tagged along for different reasons besides Wendy. The museum was a three-story building of bricks and wood, the silver paint covering some parts of it chipping in places. Otherwise, the place was lovely. The grounds were well-kept and the pathways were clear of any debris. It made Seph want to go on a treasure hunt, just to find out what exactly this old place that was still running was hiding.

The moment they entered the building, Seph was very excited. If the fact that she had been looking around at every little thing wasn't an indication for that, then what was? Almost immediately, she found interest in one of the exhibits, reading carefully and exploring diligently. Laxus stayed close by even if he wasn't interested in the exhibit because, honestly, he just didn't want to lose his partner again. Eventually, there was one exhibit that Seph stayed at for a very long time, one where there was lots of reading to do on whatever it was. Lots of the others got interested, to say the least, but she was intrigued by the story of the Öjerfalk's. The Öjerfalk Manor was the last thing left of the family, technically.

"What're you reading?"

Seph jumped from the sudden voice, but found herself relaxing when she caught sight of Lily, recognizing his voice soon after and calming down completely. She felt content with him interested in what she was interested in, oddly…

"I'm reading the history of the Öjerfalk family and such." Seph responded calmly. "Can you read?" She didn't mean to be rude and Lily knew that, so he chuckled a bit.

"I suppose I can." He responded, starting to read over the history that was written in front of him. Seph stared at him for a moment, at how focused he was yet so content and so… happy to be in a calm situation, before going back to reading as well.

 **"Öjerfalk Manor was built in c. x654 by George Öjerfalk (May 9th, x633-December 19th, x672). The plantation home housed five generations of Öjerfalk's from x660 to x710. It was purchased from the family of Henry Robertson in x724 upon the passing of its last residential inhabitant, Henry's granddaughter Sarah Cajoj-Robertson.**  
 **George Öjerfalk (May 9th, x633-December 19th, x672) was one of Tosen's founders, along with Henry Robertson, Edward Helsen, Walter Williams, and Clarence Loufred. He and his wife Mabel Öjerfalk (January 2nd, x638-February 12th x673) had four children: sons Harold (September 19th, x651-January 8th, x700) and Leonard (July 19th, x652-January 13th x701; and daughters Clara (June 16th, x654-September 28th x706) and Josephine (December 24th, x657-December 31st, x668).**  
 **Harold and Leonard died in battle at war and Josephine died of mysterious means at a young age, bringing the result of Clara being the only Öjerfalk to bear children. She had three daughters: Bessie, Nellie and Tessa; and one son: Elihu.**  
 **Elihu ÖJerfalk (February 5th, x673-September 8th, x718) was a family man and yet a successful business man of sorts. He and his wife Caroline Öjerfalk had three children: a son, Clyde (September 1st, x694-September 26th, x705), and two daughters: Josephine (October 30th, x697-September 26th, x?) and Beth (June 5th, x699-September 26th, x705). There was a terrible tragedy of abuse throughout the household that lead to the children all dying on the same day at his wife's hands, although some say that he assisted her to save himself."**

Seph took a moment to let that sink in and then recalled what she had read, concluding that the Öjerfalk's had issues. But then again, didn't all families have their own issues?

"Y'know what's weird?" She suddenly asked, gaining Lily's attention in a split second. "It's the question mark on Josephine's name. "They all died on the same day" it says, but they didn't put her year of death down."

"Maybe it was a mistake…?" Lily questioned, but he knew that it would've been fixed a long time ago. Seph shrugged nonetheless before gently grabbing his hand.

"No point in dwelling on it. I see a dinosaur model over there and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to learn all about it."

With a laugh, Lily allowed Seph to pull him along with her as she explored the small dinosaur exhibit. Little did he know that she was indeed dwelling on why Josephine Öjerfalk's death year was questioned, but not the death month or day. Did she disappear?

There weren't any pictures of her, after all… God.

* * *

When a time rolled around for all of them to group up and eat snacks together, that's exactly what they all did… except, Seph didn't really eat. She just… sort of chewed on some grapes and worried everyone around her. A few moments passed where no one asked, and maybe it was good that they didn't because she suddenly spoke up.

"My name is Josephine."

There was a pause where they were all silence, and then someone choked on whatever they had been eating.

"But you like to be called Seph?" Laxus asked, gaining a small nod from the Exceed. They found no problem with that, so why…?

"I was reading at an exhibit earlier, about the Öjerfalk family and such. They were messed up." She explained with a slightly shaky voice, but not wavering. "George and Mabel Öjerfalk had three children, their middle daughter being Josephine. She died from mysterious means at a young age. Then Elihu and Caroline Öjerfalk's youngest daughter Josephine apparently died, but… she kind of just disappeared, I think, y'know?"

There was another pause, a longer one this time.

"I just thought that I should tell you…" Seph sighed softly, finally picking up a sandwich and taking a bite.

They all nodded, understanding it now, and went back to snacking away. They could just know that sometimes, Seph had mysterious means of doing things and disappeared into her thoughts sometimes. She disappeared into her past sometimes, but that didn't mean she was gone.

After all, she wasn't exactly Josephine. She was Seph.

* * *

Seph screamed internally as she sat at a table alone in the Guild, reading her book. How dare Cole betray Joshua and Aliza!? She was getting far too into this book… far. She was so far that she slammed the book shut upon reading the line "His hand rose with the small pistol soundly rested in it, no remorse shown in his eyes, and he simply pulled the trigger as if he was falling asleep". She wasn't done with this book, not by a long shot, but she needed time away from it. She had been so into it that morning when they got up to go to the Guild; Charles had to tie her shoes for her so she wouldn't end up tripping when she stood up. She had forgotten to do it herself. It was like she was some sort of child.

Maybe she was, honestly.

There had been so much crazy stuff going on lately that she just needed a break from reality, and the fiction book that she had gotten so into was one that wasn't ancient. It was new to her and it was great, but it kind of just tore her soul apart, so… She was ready for reality again, sort of… not really. But she kept telling herself that it was okay. This too shall pass… at some point.

Her saving grace was quite a weird one, right outside in the courtyard of the Guild. She found Gajeel strumming at a guitar, most likely his, boredly without seeming to have any real purpose of doing so… and for some reason, she was totally okay with that. She climbed up onto the table and took a seat, making eye contact for a split second with Gajeel before staring at his guitar.

"… Do you know how to play?" Seph asked, gaining a scoff in response before Gajeel paused and then nodded. Was he… afraid to upset her? Did Laxus scare him? Because, by all means and purposes, she was not terrifying at all. She was the terrified. "I know, like… ten songs. I'm kind of a music geek."

"… You know how to play guitar?" Gajeel asked lowly, seeming to try and focus a bit. She gave him a firm nod and he let out a small "huh", like that wasn't surprising but a good fact to know. "… Do you know how to sing?"

"Mm… Sort of, I guess. What about you?" She questioned, gaining a low chuckle in response at first before he shrugged a bit.

"I know how, but I'm awful at it." He replied, seeming perfectly content with that fact. "It's a good laugh sometimes. I'm sure you're much better." Seph paused for a moment before shrugging and scratching at her shorts.

"Do you know how to play Shiver?" She suddenly asked, staring down at the ground. Gajeel hummed in reply, a hum that told her that he did know how. "… Could you play it…?"

There was a pause before the soft tune carried out from the guitar strings and into the air ever so softly, relaxing Seph as she just sat there, listening. Her Dad used to strum at his guitar when he was bored, too. Then, her Mother would ask him to play something for her and he gladly would. Her Dad was a great musician, but… he was a better artist. The village of her childhood and the borders of her life were very small. They always had been like a crumbling, dusty attic, but at least she would always remember the artist who loved his wife and children. It was easy to remember, but…

It was harder to move on knowing that her childhood was long gone by then.


	18. A Brand New Day Brings A Brand New Job

The woodland seemed ominously quiet.

Seph paused and now that even the sound of her own shuffling was silent, all that could be heard was the susurration of the leaves in the gusty wind. She peered out the window beside Laxus' bed, finding her eyes travelling to the mountain that rose the highest in the distance, more steep than any other she had seen. It was probably the same as the others, just one boot hold and one hand hold at a time—no more, no less. The wind from the slightly ajar window blew around her tousled fur before she sighed, rolling over and trying once again to fall asleep. She and her team had a job alongside some of the others tomorrow, after all, and she wanted to have enough energy for it. She tossed from one side to the other, the bed that had been so carefully made becoming a tangle of covers as the night wore on, thoughts tumbling through her mind in rapid succession.

She remembered the days when it was hard to even leave her dumb little room that she shared with some many others, always being told by stranger nearly in the same situation as her to stay back from the fight. When she was little, she didn't understand why, but now she really did and it hurt her like no other thing in the world. Many nights, she went sleepless, and it felt like she was falling right back into it. The monster she once called a good friend would be yelling and blaming someone for everything wrong with his own life and the person he was yelling at wouldn't say a word. It was the same old story. Tomorrow, she would have another scar as always. She would bite her lips so hard that they would start to bleed, trying to block out the shouts with the pillow on her ears, but nothing would help. The fear paralyzed her. She hated herself for not standing up to him, but what could she honestly do? Nothing would change if she was the only one fighting.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on how the room temperature was perfect and how her favorite night light was on, her forest green eyes peering into the ceiling as if it was interesting. It was one of those quiet and pleasant nights, time only marked by the numbers changing on the alarm sitting on the bedside table, and she could only hope that in the meantime, she would not be aware of every second of every minute. Her mind was constantly regurgitating the worries of the day the worries of tomorrow, and the worries of yesteryear, yet she had no new or brilliant solutions to offer.

She could only do what she had always done—take each day at it comes.

* * *

The path grew wide where the soil was soft and then narrow in the rocky passes, having times where it was barely there at all, simply no more than a mild disturbance in the dirt. Upon the forest floor laid trees of yesteryear, falling in storms long forgotten. The seasons had been harsh, stripping away the bark and outer layers, yet rendering them all the more beautiful. Birdsongs came in lulls and bursts, the silence and the singing working together as well as any improvised melody, the light streaking through the boughs in both brilliant and shadowy beams. In the summer, they would be gold, illuminating the greens into virescent rots, but on these wintry days, the fogs casted those same beams of light into sepia tones. The trunks of fallen trees bared icicles, every twig and blade of grass growing winter "leaves" of ice crystals, frost deeper than the fleece in gloves.

It eventually ended up with trees grown so thickly that there was no undergrowth at all. About the feet of the travelling Mages were only the browned remnants of branches and needles that had fallen in the recent high winds. If there was a path, none of them could see it, so instead they wended their way through the skinny trunks that grew so tall, racing for their share of the sun's rays. In places, they were so thickly clumped that they had to alter their path or risk their supplies becoming wedged.

"Are we there yet?" Evergreen asked with a tone of complaint. They hadn't even been walking for more than an hour, if so, yet and they still had about another hour before they got to their destination. The ground was smoother under their shoes, but under her high heels, it must've been very rugged.

"Not even close." Lucy sighed, sweating a little bit as she gave Erza a sideways glance, the redhead merely continuing ahead of them without much trouble despite her **massive cart** of luggage. Out of all physics logic, it should've tipped over more than once in the past hour of hiking, but it… had not done that at all.

In the distance, there was a large river just rushing along as if mocking them for going so slowly and everyone made sure to stick as close together as possible. Seph gave a content smile; looking through the water of the lake was like peering through perfect glass, not smudged by the sticky prints of small children. The stones at the bottom were as many hues of brown and gray as there were on a painter's wheel, likely more. After a few minutes of looking, she could notice some that were more reddish or closer to white. Looking up as she walked, a bird on a branch moved its head from side to side like it was clockwork, like there was a switch in its brain that flicked to choose the direction to look but not the speed of the motion. Every turn was rapid, almost too fast to see, but in the moments it was still, she could see the glossy black eyes set in the plumage of an impossibly bright blue.

How long had they been walking again?

She accidentally crashed into Laxus' leg, stopping and rubbing her head a bit before realizing that the path was full of small brown frogs no bigger than a dollar, hopping along lively. Erza couldn't roll through there and yet, Seph found herself grinning because ordinarily, she wouldn't have a chance of catching one, but there were dozens of them at the moment, so how could she miss? She crouched down, crawling forward a little bit, and as she scooped one up, she felt it lie cold against her skin. She hadn't considered herself to be particularly warm, but to this frog's cool and delicate skin, she must have felt like she had a furnace inside of her. She felt a frisson of awe to see its eyes, sticking up and glossy like any storybook prince-to-be. Its legs were hunched, trying to leap, but she kept her grip as tight as possible without bringing any harm to it, getting back onto her feet as Laxus kneeled down to look at the frog with her.

"I thought frogs were supposed to be green…" He mumbled a bit, a slight grin pulling at his lips due to seeing her so ecstatic over something smaller than her.

"They can be, but frogs have the ability to camouflage themselves, changing their color at their own will as their mood or surroundings change as well." She told him merely just starting to explain. "Frogs have three types of pigmentation or chromatophores. There's the melanophore, a brown pigment, iridophore, a highly reflective pigment, and xanthophores, a yellow pigment. When needed, frogs could put these pigments to use, so this one is brown because of the trees and the dirt."

"… Cool." Laxus responded after registering what she had told him, and once all the frogs had passed, Seph kneeled down to let the frog hop after its group, the group of Mages starting to move again.

With each stride, her mind became more clear and more resolute, determination driving her on as she registered the million different hues that the woodland floor held. The differences were magnified by the moisture, variation on variation, and mingled in were some stones, adding their grays to the mosaic beneath her feet. The trees were veiled in the lightest of mists, their trunks somber brown with sable cracks that gnarled the bark, and as her eyes traveled to the edge of the woodland, they became silhouettes against a blanket of white. The town outside of the woodland looked to be a maze of narrow-winding streets, and the colors reminded her of children's toys. Every red was the exact same one, a brilliant cherry scarlet, and every blue was a bright royal hue, neither dark nor light.

After they weaved through the labyrinth of roads, the paths eventually converged and unveiled the piazza, everyone staring at them along the way and even right there, none of them even trying to be discreet. Seph didn't focus on that for once, though, she just focused on the flocks of pigeons gathered everywhere with people feeding them crumbs of bread and taking photographs. The buildings were an amazing jumble of different styles: rickety wooden shops, marble and brick houses, huge stone churches… They passed a greengrocer with his window full of apples and oranges, and a grocery store, and an electrical shop. They were making their way to the tallest building, though, that's where their client was, but that didn't stop some of them from looking at stuff and experiencing some things you could only experience when you traveled somewhere new.

Then, Seph caught sight of a young man sitting on a bench, appearing to be reading a newspaper. He almost belonged… but not quite. He dressed in scrubby jeans and simple black runners, but he wore a black cloak like some sort of magician with a flash of red silk beneath the collar and some sort of device on his wrist, one that he probably hadn't meant for anyone to see as he shook his wrist to cover it with his sleeve. He wore a fedora, covering his hair with the fabric and covering his eyes with a shadow that nearly screamed suspicion, but Seph didn't dare to continue looking when one of his baby blue eyes peered over his newspaper in her direction.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination, which was a very tall building designed with brick and metal, Erza gave three very powerful knocks on the big wooden door, all of them waiting a moment before a middle-aged man answered the door. He was round about his middle with thinning hair, a dusty brown flecked with gray.

"Are you the group from Fairy Tail?" He questioned carefully, clearly optimistic beyond his hardened gaze, and Erza put a fist on her hip with a firm nod.

"Yes, we're here because of the job request sent in by Arthur Driscoll." She responded, causing the man to discard his hardened gaze in favor of his optimistic one, a smile pulling at his lips.

"Oh, that's me! Please, come in, I'm very grateful that you've arrived so safely!" Arthur welcomed them, pulling his door open and lifting an arm up to show them inside his house.

As they walked into the home, a blast of air conditioned cold streamed past them and some light jazz drifted from a room out of sight. There was a few children's toys cast onto the floor in a haphazard fashion, but there was otherwise nothing of concern besides perhaps the many potted plants that reached upwards with broad and spreading leaves. There were stairs leading up to a second floor, and then more above them leading to a fourth floor and maybe onwards, with rooms above them and little footsteps running around every now and then over the sound of their own. Inside the living room they passed was a comfy-looking couch, paired with two comfy-looking chairs, a small wooden table, and a big fireplace equipped with an iron truss, a kettle, and a pot, with no fire currently going.

They were lead into the dining room, elegant in a minimalist sort of way, and urged to sit in which none of them dared to go against the offer. The table dominated the space, an elongated ellipse of oak with the raw bark at the edges—the tree had been a victim of a violent storm a few years back, upended root and all—the chairs coming from the same tree, each one beautiful in its simplicity, all clean straight lines and high backs. The floor beneath it all was slate and with the cream walls and tall mullioned windows, it was a fine place.

"Oh, where is that blasted boy…" Arthur muttered with an exasperated sigh as they all sat, making his way to the doorway to call up the stairs and into the other rooms. "Quentin! Quentin, we have guests!"

As if being whistled to like a dog, a finely-dressed man came down the steps gently with such grace that no one felt as if they had seen anyone match, topping Arthur's finely-pressed dress shirt and simple jeans. Quentin had a neatly ironed uniform, a white dress shirt under a silky red vest and a black tie that looks so tight around his neck that it was suffocating him like a python wound, but he seemed so simply fine, carrying a pleasant smile on his lips. The only thing slightly off about his nicely-dressed ways was how scrubby his jeans seemed to be and that fact that his black shoes were runners, not dress shoes. His hair was slightly shaggy, enough for him to flip the dark brown out of the way, and his baby blue eyes tried to shine past the inevitable dullness they carried.

Something in Seph's mind clicked, but she honestly felt scared to speak.

Arthur talked to Quentin, who nodded his head multiple times before taking off down the hall to do something, and then Arthur took a seat with all of them, still smiling widely and optimistically.

"The townspeople put this together—" He started off, handing over a paper to Erza. Laxus brushed a hand over Seph's head and she glanced up, noticing his reach for her before she lifted her arms up, allowing him to pull her up and into his lap. She relaxed on his knee, leaning against the table just as he was, and felt grateful for the little things. "These are a list of testimonies and eye witnesses' accounts of what has been happening. Unfortunately, we don't have any answers just yet, but we wanted to make sure that you all have as much information as possible. We will be providing you with rooms at our finest inn alongside the reward when you complete the job as our thank you for your help."

Seph could barely remember the job over all of her other thoughts, but she managed to put two and two together to think of it. They needed a large group because they had to split up to search the city after they arrived and settled in due to some group running around and terrorizing people, kidnapping others of any age or gender that they could possibly get their hands on. They took pets as well, apparently, which made Seph a little uneasy only because she really didn't know why people would be stealing pets if they're already kidnapping people. That's what they were there to find out, though, so… There was no point in questioning what they would find out eventually at the moment, honestly.

Oh, how she wished that she had the skills of a great detective, to have the mind and eyes for clues equal to those of famous untanglers of mysteries. Not to parade her knowledge, returning lost diamonds and catching dastardly killers, not to share with the masses the secrets behind the downfall of kings and the rise of emperors, not to unravel the elaborately spun lies of conmen. No, had she the deduction of Holmes and Poirot, she would quietly solve the commonplace. Small things like what happens to all of her missing socks… and just to make jobs like these much easier on her brain.

Her poor little brain that couldn't figure out why she thought that Quentin could've possibly been sitting on that bench in the plaza when he was so nicely set up in this home. He couldn't have possibly made it from there all the way to the big house…

Could he?


	19. Midnight Attack

**A/n: I've missed a thousand Saturdays, so y'know what? Updates = Irregular. I'll get around to it when I can. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

* * *

The group got two fine rooms in the best inn stationed in the plaza of the town, and in the middle of the town, which was good for them since they would be splitting up in different directions and then coming back. Figuring out the room situations were hard and then the bed situations would be decided on later, but Seph kind of felt like she was back in Crocus with her, Laxus, Gajeel and Lily in the same room again. It's just that the Raijinshuu was with them that time, including Katie and Charles, which, in her opinion, made it even better! Team Natsu plus Wendy, Carla and Juvia were staying in the other room, and they all just basically dropped their stuff, met back up, split into groups, and then they took off in different directions to search around town for different things that screamed suspicion.

When they all came back from searching around, reporting back barely anything that probably actually meant something, Erza handed Laxus a photocopy of the testimonies and such that she had managed to get so they could both go over them in their own time. Everyone started settling down, trying to figure out bed arrangements with the six beds in the room, Seph decided to read through the testimonies and statements and everything… and she didn't really find much that was useful, in her own little opinion. Maybe Laxus and Erza would have better luck…

Eventually, they all came to a decision that Laxus and Seph would share a bed—which the Exceed was totally fine with and used to anyways—, that Katie and Charles would share a bed, that Gajeel and Lily would share a bed, and then Bickslow, Freed and Evergreen would each get their own beds. It seemed fair enough and Seph felt pretty content knowing that she would still be with her partner. Everyone pretty much just climbed into bed after that and sooner than later, she found that everyone had drifted off aside from her.

Night had fallen fast upon the land. No more than an hour ago, the sky was painted with hues of red, orange and pink, but all color had faded awhile ago, leaving only a matt black canvas with no stars to be looked upon. The darkness was thick and at every little sound, her fur would rise and small bumps that tingled would run along her arms and legs. Seph had underestimated the cold and she merely sighed, unable to sleep, and pulled on her sweater along with putting her glasses back on, getting up slowly and quietly so that no one else would be bothered. She slipped out of the dark room into the lighted halls and made her way down the few steps, slipping out past another door and into the cold night, feeling all of her heat rush into her core as the cold air bit at her skin from underneath her fur. Her blood ran cold through her veins and her bones were chilled, the breeze blowing right through her sweater, yet she walked straight around to the side of the inn where little light bugged her sore, tired eyes, trying to calm herself down with the fresh air in hopes of getting drowsy enough to fall asleep once she got back to bed.

Then, it all happened at once.

Hands were grabbing at her and when she tried to scream, there was a hand over her mouth to muffle her cries. She moved around violently in an attempt to get free, but she was nearly powerless against the pair of Exceeds that were pulling and pushing her into the ground, disabling her and hurting her. She cried as loudly as she could against the hand and at one point, she managed to open her mouth in order to bite down harshly on the hand.

" **LAXUS**!" She screamed as loudly as possible before the hand covered her mouth again, much rougher that time to the point of digging into her cheeks.

"Shut her up, dammit!" One of them whisper-yelled harshly to the other, in which Seph just tried to kick at someone, anyone, when she heard them and found that this was actually happening, that she was actually in danger.

A thought struck at Seph, however, no matter how it wasn't the time. She was sure that her Guildmates would put up a fight for her, but did anyone really care enough to defend her defiantly?

She choked back a sob that turned into another scream as someone pulled on her shorts, whether they meant to or not, and something just clicked in her tiny little heart that caused her to clench her fists, to bring her knees up to her chest, and to focus all of her magic in one place until there were no more hands restraining her. No one was touching her; no one was hurting her… If anything, she was hurting whoever was trying to get her because there was unfamiliar screaming in the air: ones full of pain. Nonetheless, she crawled around into a little dip where she just hid behind a concrete wall, the cold concrete rivaling against the warmth in her poor little cheeks that had gone red from her lack of breath and all that crying, and she just sat there as she bawled her eyes out.

Tears were streaming down her face and sobs came out in strains and painful chokes as she tried her best to stop shaking even though it didn't work out too well. Her screaming sobs were only interrupted by her need to draw breath and it was a primal sound, one that no one was programmed to ignore, and she cried as if her brain was being shredded from the inside. Emotional pain flowed out of her every pore, from her mouth came cries so raw, and she shook so violently that it was almost as if she was caught in an earthquake, but there was none happening. From her eyes came a thicker flow of tears than she had cried upon a knife being buried into a chest that one day she escaped, blood basically squirting all over her and the choking in the other's throat forever haunting her alongside everything else. Her chin trembled as if she was a small child and she breathed heavily, gasping for air that simply wasn't there as her throat burned, forming a silent scream. Her brain had shut down. She was clammy and there was the glisten of a cold sweat, her eyes as wide as if someone was coming to deliver the final blow, yet what she saw, no one else could see. She breathed in and out, but air wouldn't enter her lungs, her heart racing at tremendous speeds and her lungs shallowly rising and falling in time.

And he took the approach of love and kindness. He stayed as far as necessary, gently reaching out but not touching her and gently speaking to her, but never raising his voice too much. He became fresh air and clean water, rich soil for the harvest and the sweet spring rain. He became all of the things that she didn't know she needed or loved so dearly until they were gone. She immediately reached out as soon as she registered his presence, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him into her, laying her hands flat across his back before balling them up again, bawling her eyes out on his shoulder as he gently resting a hand on the back of her head, another arm wrapping around her waist to protect her from everything that had tried to hurt her and would dare to try. She felt blessed to know him, to be able to be held by him and hold him, and she was finally able to take deep breaths again, feeling the cold night's fresh air seep into her burning lungs and rush out again to help her create a rhythm.

"Hey, it's okay…" He told her ever so softly, the statement smooth and the baritone of his voice reverberating through her bones as her grips onto her tighter, almost as if he was afraid to let her go. She was afraid to let him go. The low rumble of his voice was comforting as it wrapped around her and carried her off to a world where sound was the power that could change everything wrong in the world.

She gently pulled back, just ever so slightly, not daring to let go and not enough for him to let go, and allowed herself to peer into his soft orange eyes that calmed her despite her slight fear of eye contact. His eyes were so different, almost like the eyes of one who loves deeply, and if it were anyone else, she probably would have dropped her gaze, but he merely drew her in closer. In his eyes was his humanity, the person he really was, and there was something in his spirit that danced, like a fire giving just the right amount of warmth. Her body squirmed a little bit as it relaxed and she finally broke the eye contact, allowing herself to just lean into his warmth again, and he didn't dare to refuse her neediness, simply lifting her up in his strong, tense arms, holding onto her tightly and carefully as he began to walk.

She felt the temperature change as she was carried back inside, hearing many voices around her but being unable to identify them as most of them remained outside as she moved away, still crying ever so softly and switching her grip from around his torso to around his neck to make it easier on him, and just to get closer so she could continue feeling that warmth that was calming her down. She finally felt herself being lowered onto to cotton, nearly silken, mattress, her back pressing to the cool, cotton cover of one of the pillows. As much as she longed to snuggle into the soft eiderdown duvet and close her eyes as it caressed her cheek, she didn't want him to leave her, so she held on tight until he finally sighed and acted the inevitable, lying down with her and keeping his firm hold on her fragile form. He pulled the duvet over them, hugging it tight to her and rolling so that it enclosed them both in warmth upon seeing her shiver and watching another tear roll across her nose, and he gently pulled her glasses from her faces, handing them to somebody who she couldn't pinpoint by smell or voice or anything.

She didn't dare to think back upon what had happened, not while she could enjoy this moment with him. She felt so scared still, but she also felt content with him so close and it almost made her start crying all over again… however, she just really didn't have the energy for it. In the slightly dark room with just one little lamp on to signify the rush everyone had gotten into, his cuddles felt like a little touch of heaven, even as he lifted a hand just to brush it through some of her fur. She allowed herself to sniffle, shifting closer towards him, and he didn't seem to mind, simply holding onto her a little tighter, but still being gentle. His arms being wrapped around her brought a peace that she had never come to know before, calming the storms in heart and soul. She thought that it was him, just maybe, that brought her hope for the future. In his embrace, she started to believe that there was nothing out there to fear, that there was all sunshine, beautiful trees and kind people—friends to be.

She thought that, honestly, it could be true if she tried hard enough and if others would try, too.

Just as the first bite of cold wind crept past the duvet and her clothing, Lily's hand moved around her middle, warm and soft. In seconds, his body was molded to her own, sharing his body heat as easily as he shared his heart. She could never let another person so close, honestly, but he was so different. She had never known a person to always have the right motivations, even when he was wrong. There was purity to him, naivety perhaps, but he was the only flower in a meadow full of them for her.

Her shaky breathing leveled out and in moments, as her fear melted away, she drifted off into a better sleep than she had gotten in the past couple of nights.

Cuddled into Lily's front was the small bundle of fragile fur everyone knew as Seph, her fingers curled into the fabric of the duvet slightly drooping between them, not clasping it tightly, but just enough to reassure her that they were still there together. Everyone just wanted to scoop her up, to give her a hug of their own, but they knew that would never go over well at the moment. She needed her rest right now and Lily seemed to be at the utmost support for her, so as long as she stayed content, then everything would be alright. Every time she shifted in a concerning way or let out a soft sound, her would be able to soothe her while she was sleeping, making it more manageable for the others to discuss everything out in the hall and in the doorway, trying to keep quiet for multiple different reasons. She had been worse out there than simply in an attack because she was actually being hurt by being restrained, unlike her thoughts just whirling around nearly uncomprehendably and awfully. She had been so vulnerable, yet now the inn had a new tree out on the side. She had grown that with her magic in a desperate moment and they weren't complaining since she got herself out of trouble before they got there, and even if she had caused damage, they would have paid for it because honestly, she protected herself the best she could.

Laxus felt awfully guilty for not hearing her sooner and letting her wander off alone in the first place, but it was typical to all of them because they all felt a little guilty in the same way. He wasn't perfect, but he would follow his partner into Hell if that's what it took to keep her safe. He was her protector as she was his, on to shield the other, so he would stay with her as she stayed with him, trust in her as she trusted in him, and together they would ride through every storm only to come out the other side, waiting to see what the new dawn may bring. He was at the breaking point of his patience. Anger boiled deep in his system, as hot as lava, and it churned within as he ran a hand through his hair three times in quick succession, fixing the wall in a stare that could have frozen an ocean. He snarled more than spoke.

"If I ever meet the bastards who hurt her in the first place, I'm going to beat the shit outta them and then snap their necks to finish it off."

No one dared to question him as he made his way back into the room, noticing that Lily was slowly drifting off into sleep as Seph continued to snooze on, and he merely climbed into the bed carefully, wrapping an arm around the both of them. Lily understood, looking up for a mere second before looking back down at Seph's restless expression before finally drifting off, his breathing leveling out ever so slowly. Laxus wasn't a hero until someone hurt who he loved, and then it was war.

Someone crossed the line with his partner and he wasn't going to forget it. He wouldn't rest until they were beaten—and he didn't mean just beaten down: he meant dead or at least close to. There wasn't a place they could hide, he would find them and destroy them. He didn't care much how it happened, he just needed them to suffer as Seph had and just needed their cold souls extinguished from the universe. They might think that it was an overreaction, but they also would underestimate how much he cared for her.

He was coming. They just had to know it.


	20. Universal Mage

_With the soft humming tone in the back of her head, she was sure of exactly where she should go despite having to set many simple goals in order to get to the end—in order to get out of that retched place. She took one step out from under a table, but was only met with a loud shriek that shook her to the core, making her slide back under the table as her heart pounded harshly in her small ribcage. She found herself on her bare hands and knees, cringing as she tried to ignore to feeling of having landed in a_ _ **disgustingly thick**_ _puddle of_ _ **God knows what**_ _._

 _She took off when the footsteps passed her, looking under the wrong tables so luckily for her, and she struggled to pull herself up onto another table in order to slip into a vent to go unnoticed, her heavy breathing only becoming more prominent as the harsh sting of bile climbed up her throat from the pressure she was accidentally pushing into her stomach. She was in the vent, however, and that was what mattered as she crawled through… only to fall into a dip and land on her back with a hard_ _ **thud**_ _, the popping in her back making her whimper. She was starving and everything was hurting, so after the nausea of hunger faded for a moment, the girl sat up only to heave at the sight on drying blood covering her poor little legs._

 _Her head then snapped in the direction of quiet and fast footsteps, catching site of a small human child who was ushering her over to them, causing the girl to gasp softly, balling her small paws into fists and taking admittedly painful steps towards the drawers in the closed-off room. The small human climbed up onto a bed and helped pull her up, putting her down with a soft thump and giggling at the small, surprised noise that came from her. The human reached for something under the pillow and then held it out for her, in which she very carefully took it from their much bigger hands as her stomach growled upon her realizing that this was a piece of seasoned meat—obviously torn off of a bigger piece, but still very appreciated. It was still warm and she looked and the human, giving them a nod in thanks before scarfing the piece of meat down, not having noticed how hungry she really was until then._

 _The human clapped their hands and then they both sat there in a moment of peace, the girl grinning softly for once in her adventure of trying to escape. She had unexpected allies around every corner, it seemed…_

* * *

When Seph woke up the next morning, she found herself not remembering anything from the night before, albeit she didn't quite worry about it too much. She knew it was bad because she would often always forget the little bad things that happened due to focusing on the bigger things too much, or something along those lines… that's what she thought, at least. All she knew was that she had a very comfortable sleep with little to no nightmare material, just… something nice that had happened, for once. No one seemed to dare to ask her about it and honestly, that was a good thing because she didn't remember a thing and she didn't want to.

She already remembered too much from the awful times.

They all grouped up to go over the testimonies and such downstairs in the little café, in which she merely just sat on the table with Carla, yawning every five minutes because they had gotten up a little later than usual and her body wasn't sure how to handle it very well. They went over anything, but weren't able to put anything together with it, so they all split up again and Seph found herself sitting on a ledge with Lily while the others questioned people around the area. The ledge was cold and her legs felt numb, but she continued to swing them lazily as she hummed anyways, going with the simple tune that she had heard from her dream—it made her feel calm despite the haunting beauty of it and it made her wonder if she was missing something.

"That's creepy." Lily suddenly commented, making her stop immediately and gaze at her little shoes. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that, I just—" He didn't seem to know what to say, but he managed to get something out anyways. "Where did you learn that tune?" Where **had** she learned it…?

"Um… I-I think… back where I came from, someone I knew…" She responded softly, fiddling with her necklace a bit as she looked up to watch all of the people run around like ants as they worked. She heard Lily hum shortly in reply, seeing him nod from the corner of her eye, and she simply just nodded a little bit in return, focusing on everything that was happening around her.

The store nearby was wedged between two taller buildings, looking squeezed and as if the neighbors were closing in. The sign was old, some letters having become illegible in the peeling paint, but the window was clean and the artifacts on display were clearly antique. There was no theme to them or color coordination and they were crammed together rather than artistically arranged, looking far longer than it was wide, almost like a corridor with shelving spanning both sides. In the window was a couple of boring antiques, but upon examining them closer, Seph found herself staring at one of them. It was a mirror, small and cheap about the size of pamphlet, and it was the kind that you might pick up from the local corner store, but it was framed with what looked like golden leaves from a weeping willow. At the top of the mirror, also in gold, was a cherubic face one could only guess was meant to be an angel and above the angel's head was a crown with many points. The mirror itself was tarnished, perhaps it had been polished a few times too many or maybe that's just what happened with age…

Without thinking, she grabbed onto Lily's arm and gave it a small tug to gain his attention, pointing at the store.

"We should go there." She suggested, gaining a silent pause before Lily gave her a plain-as-day look of confusion. "We're supposed to be asking around, right? We're Mages, too, Lily." Plus, she just had this weird **feeling** …

There was a pause as Lily thought and then he sighed, scratching the back of his head as he gave her a nod and got to his feet. She quickly followed behind him with getting onto her feet and then grabbed his hand when he went too slowly for her liking, pulling him along to the antique store with a childish pace and quite the childish expression.

The shop was more like a warehouse than anything either of them had ever seen before, carrying so many different things of sizes and capacity that they were a little overwhelmed at first. It was a minefield for the clumsy, as Seph quickly learned by accidentally bashing into a chair and almost knocking over a fan that was keeping the place cool in the unnaturally warm weather, only being saved by Lily's quick reflexes alongside her flailing to right her wrong. Delicate and expensive hand crafted figurines, glass bowls and kiln-fired plates were on low shelves where they could be easily knocked into and broken… Lily kept a close eye and a close hold on Seph, much to her dismay. The only thing she was really allowed near was a bookcase, which she was ecstatic about, and she noticed how it was ornate as if carved by a person with a profound love of literature. The engravings were of leaves, of autumn berries and birds on the wing—so sublime as to invite the fingers to take in just as much as the eyes.

There was a corner of furniture that looked quite crammed, but still well set. There were solid wood pieces and peeling vinyl; there were floral lamps and sleek metal coat stands; there were coffee tables and a random assortment of chairs. It wasn't just uncoordinated for color; it wasn't coordinated for era, materials or size. Adding to the general disarray were potted plants; all of them healthy and taking over whatever space the furniture didn't. Then there were the antiques, crowding the stuffy little shop, a glorious hotchpotch of cultures and fashions through the ages. There were tea pots and dolls, all of them covered in a fine layer of dust, and even at the desk there was an antique till, the keys clunky like an aging type writer. Though many items seemed to have lost their luster, they stood in their dusty cabinets with all their glory and pride intact. Coats of patina embraced stone and copper sculptures like the varnish of age and wisdom, a baroque dining table holding many of the sculptures in the middle of the store, engraved with ornate carvings that radiated the maker's emotions with the mellow aroma of oak that had never evaporated.

"Sorry, could I help the both of you?"

They both looked up at the counter where there was an old woman, not the kind you pitied with their old bones and feeble limbs but the kind who could still run an army kitchen given half a chance. She stood quite tall and slim, her short gray hair neat and likely styled with old fashioned rollers—the kind women used to sleep in. Her face was made up with discrete make-up except for her lips that were cherry red—were she any paler, her mouth would be garish, but against her sun-kissed skin, it looked alright. When she extended her hands over the counter to look down at them, they saw the soil beneath her finger nails that made them bet that she was a gardener even before noticing her neck scarf, which was patterned with small roses. Seph would bet that this lady had the best front yard on her street.

"Um…" Lily started, looking towards Seph because it was her idea to come into the antique shop. The girl paused, trying to think of how to word her sentence, and then Lily just took a deep breath and decided to speak instead. She didn't really mind—it was less anxiety for her to experience. "We were wondering if you knew anything about the group that's been going around, the ones terrorizing people and kidnapping people and such… We're with a Guild, working a job."

There was a pause as the woman thought before looking around a bit, looking out the door even, and then she grabbed a chair from behind the counter, taking a seat.

"I only know that my husband used to run this shop before he was taken—and my daughter was taken, too." She told them, motioning for them to sit on the desk wherever they wished because that would make it easier for them to talk. Lily and Seph gladly did, trying to make it easy on her and themselves.

"I've taken over the shop despite the lack of customers, but, starting at the beginning, it started happening about a couple of weeks ago. The first person to go missing was the son of a neighbor of mine, and his dog was gone as well, so they thought that maybe he had just left… but his backpack was there, all of his clothes, the medication he was taking for an ear infection—it was all left behind and they knew that he would've taken certain things with him. Then, more people gradually started going missing and pets as well with no pattern, just all ages and all genders… and then a group of teenagers dressed in black, all with the same mark on their necks, raided the bookstore for some reason, threatening whoever was there with weapons until they left without what they had wanted. It was this… ancient book or something that seemed modern except to certain eyes, and they had a device to track it down, but it wasn't there. Eventually, they just started breaking into homes and other stores searching for the damned thing while people continued to go missing… no one knows what's going on, but I was at the bookstore when it happened transferring a bookcase in. I was in the back, so I wasn't threatened or anything, but I saw it all happen and… they're so determined to find this book that none of us know about."

There was a pause as the pair of Exceeds registered all of the information, and then Seph spoke up.

"… C-Can you… remember the mark…?" Seph questioned softly, in which the lady nodded and held up a hand, going under her desk for a piece of paper and a pencil. She immediately started to sketch from memory, which didn't seem to have any faults thus far, and then tore the paper out of her little notebook, handing it to the pair of Exceeds. Their faces scrunched up in confusion, but it was a good lead nonetheless—a mark often meant a Guild, so maybe they were dealing with some sort of Dark Guild or something. Seph didn't really like the sound of that, but she didn't recognize the mark, so… she didn't find much reason to be scared. "Th-Thank you… um…"

"Samoa Teuila and you're very welcome." The lady responded politely, giving them a hopeful smile. "… Please help our town."

"… We'll try."

* * *

Seph sat on the edge of the wooden table and watched with admiration at how fast Lucy was able to research with a few simple books, reading through them quickly and then slamming it shut to turn around in her seat and talk to the rest of them.

"Yep, we're dealing with a Dark Guild." Lucy sighed, resting her arms on the back of her chair and resting her chin on them. "They're not very well known, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. They're called "Shadow Knights", after all…"

"Shadow Knights, my butt! I'm gonna beat the crap outta every single one of 'em!" Natsu stated a little too loudly for Seph's like, making her pick at the bandage around her right knee for a moment before looking up at Lucy as she continued to talk.

"I tried to look into the book they're after, but I barely found anything. It's their big goal and they've moved from town to town and all, but they've never kidnapped anyone or terrorized people this much before." Lucy explained, sitting up straight with a frown as she gazed over all of them. "It can only be seen by certain eyes, right? While the device they have might be able to track it down for them, I'm not sure how much use they could really get out of it, so I wanted to know what was so important about the one book aside from every other book. The only thing I really got was that it holds a lot of important information on certain types of powerful magic that could… well, that could possibly be disastrous if given to the wrong person. Only someone with the magic that it talks about can really read it, so I don't know why they're going after it like that, but…"

That… sounded familiar to Seph and it struck a nerve despite her not even understanding what she knew. This was confusing and weighed a lot more responsibility on them than they originally thought…

"If they have that device, then maybe they could find the book, but they would still need a person with the magic…" Erza repeated, trying to brainstorm, and continued on after lifting a hand to her chin. "Perhaps the device could only link down a certain location and the book has been moving around, but it can't actually track down straight to it. That would explain why they're terrorizing people… but the kidnappings…"

"… Maybe the device gives away the location of Mages as well. Where the book is, the proper Mage should be, and this town mostly consists of people who don't have magic. Perhaps, even if the kidnapped don't actually use magic, they have a hint of magic in them and the Guild can't be too careful when it comes to something they want." Seph spat out before she could even think, surprised at how much sense she made… That's how Dark Guilds were, after all. They only cared about themselves, and their goals.

"I'm sure that there are thousands of magic books that could cause chaos if used in that way, so why that exact one?" Freed questioned curiously, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A book that only reveals itself and its contents to a person with the magic it speaks of… What kind of magic does it talk about, though, Lucy?" Evergreen asked, in which the blonde looked towards the ceiling as she put a finger to her chin in thought.

"I'm not too sure. The information was evasive, just talking about the universe and how magic was a part of it…" Lucy trailed off, seeming to not have anything else to say, but something snapped into Seph's mind and she had opened her mouth with a name before she could stop herself.

"Ignis ales!" Seph spat out with a look of realization, much louder than she had been in awhile, and the others had jumped a little from her sudden outburst of words they didn't understand.

"… What?" Gajeel finally asked for all of them, in which Seph got onto her feet a little frantically, barely able to stay still.

"W-We have to find that book before they do! I know what it is and if they get it—Th-they can't get it!" Seph told them, unsure of how to explain past that. She was on-edge and now unable to stay still at all, needing to know that a Dark Guild wouldn't get their hands on that book. "She's already lost so much, she can't lose anymore with them coming in and thrashing things up—"

"Seph, what are you talking about?" Laxus questioned, afraid that his partner knew something so important and seemed so scared about it.

" **Samoa has the book**!"

* * *

In an old winged armchair, Samoa sat with her legs crossed and fingers intertwined over one knee as she slouched a bit. Occasionally she would catch herself doing it and straighten up, pushing her shoulders backwards and the small of her back upwards and in, sitting taller, more erect. She told herself that she didn't want to wind up as some hunch-backed old lady in a few months time, but within a few more minutes, she had forgotten all about it and resumed her slouching posture. The objects around her claimed her instant attention; there were quaint twisted candlesticks in the shape of snakes, a teapot fashioned like a duck out of whose open beak the tea was supposed to pour, and there was a carved sandal-wood box packed tight with aromatic cotton-wool. Between the layers of cotton wool there were little brass figures, hump-necked bulls and peacocks and goblins, delighted to see and handle. Less promising in appearance was that square book with plain black covers on top of the beautiful bookcase that had been there for weeks now… She wondered if her husband had been reading it or if it was an antique as well.

Then, there was a customer, bringing her to her feet with a pleasant smile. The boy wore a loose black shirt with a pitch black leather jacket over top of it alongside a simple pair of black jeans and a simple pair of black running shoes. His rich chocolate hair that had tousled griminess which promised finesse, he had strong arched brows and eyelashes so thick that it could've been illegal. And then his eyes—they were deep and catastrophic, a vivid hazel that softly melted into a milky green. As he moved in, she could see flecks of silver in his eyes, and he had distinct cheekbones with an angular jaw and pale skin. He gave her a polite smile back, starting to browse a bit, and with him half turned away, she felt safe to search for anything dangerous he might've been carrying. All dressed in black—she couldn't help but not trust him. Then, as he stretched to pick up a lovely vase, the muzzle of a gun peeked below his shirt line, making her eyes pop as he glanced behind himself, catching the expression that she only wore for a fraction of a second.

"Where did this come from?" He questioned her curiously, still smiling politely, and she continued to smile back pleasantly, clapping her hands together as she looked at the vase.

"It came from a good friend of mine from Hargeon before he left on a voyage." She told him, pausing momentarily before continuing. "It was an antique from a voyage he just returned from, shorter than the one he left on, and it was handmade by a very friendly Mage." He paused, taking a good look at it, and then put it back on the shelf after his eye seemed to catch something else. When he pointed at it, her face contorted into confusion upon noticing that it was that silly old plain book.

"What book it that? Is it for sale?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets and shrugging a bit as he questioned. She paused before shrugging back with as much of a silly smile as she could manage.

"I'm not sure. I believe it's just something my husband left up there while he was reading it." She responded, watching as the boy gave a firm nod, still staring intently at it. "I… shouldn't sell it while he's still reading it; he might get a little angry." There was a very silent pause, very unsettling, and then the boy spoke again, still smiling.

"… He can't get angry if he doesn't know, Samoa." He stated, causing her to take a step away. She hadn't told him what her name was. However, the moment she stepped away, he whistled loudly, piercing the air, and the door in the back crashed down, a group of more boys in black rushing in with guns in their hands, causing her to grasp at her shoulder anxiously. The boy grabbed her arm harshly, gaining a slight wince in return, and his smile stayed obvious—malicious. "Give us the Phoenix Tear, Samoa, and no one has to get hurt."

"I don't know what you're talking about, you fiends!" Samoa told them sternly; a little frantic with just how much danger she was in over something she didn't know about, something she didn't understand. "Whatever you want, just take it and let those poor people go! Let my husband go, and my daughter, and just take it! Leave us alone!"

There was a silence as the boy nodded to one of his people to get the book and Samoa wanted an answer. She wanted her family back beyond anything else; she wanted her family back. However, as the girl reached up to grab that damned book they wanted so bad, the front door chimes jingled and many footsteps rushed in, a lightning bolt hitting at the girl's hand and causing her to pull it away sharply with a hiss. The footsteps rushed forward, knocking weapons out of hands and pulling Samoa away from the boy seemingly in charge—and because they were caught so off-guard, they were unsure of how to fight back right away. After a moment, however, the Dark Guilds Mages started to fight back against the Fairy Tail Mages, just barely being outnumbered working in the favor ever so slightly, and one of them went to grab the book… and the Mages definitely started to fight over that.

Gray grabbed the book before anyone else could and immediately climbed the bookcase, careful not to knock it over, and in the little space, a lot of things should've already broken. Before he could get caught, he threw the book to Natsu, who got onto the cashier desk to grab it victoriously, kicking someone in the face to keep them away from him and the book. Jumping and landing on a pair of people's faces, Natsu threw the book to Lucy, who caught it very clumsily trying to not knock over an expensive sculpture and to assure the book's safety alongside another sculpture's, she threw it to Erza… and then smashed onto the ground, albeit taking someone with her. Erza didn't waste much time in throwing it to Evergreen, who in turn threw it to Bickslow, who threw it to Katie, who threw it to Freed, and then Freed threw it to Laxus, who stood tall at the back of the store after pushing someone down and away from him. The book was up in the air and honestly, they just needed to get it out of there or something.

So, out of better judgement, Laxus threw the book to the person closest to the door: his partner. She looked a little shocked and no one really moved because all of them occupied while she flailed around and went to catch it… It only bounced once and then it landed in her little arms, safe and sound, although she wasn't sure what to do with it because she was the focus of attention now. She went to ask what to do, opening her mouth, but before she could get any sound out, the front of the book started to light up so strongly and suddenly that she had to close her eyes, involuntarily closing her mouth along with them. When she adjusted to the light, just as it was going down, she opened her eyes to see that the entire book had shifted and become different—and on the front laid out the title.

' **Ignes Ales** '

She had just gotten that feeling and it had been correct. This book was the Phoenix Tear.

The book was old and heavy, the leather soft and delicate to the touch as she ran her fingers over the faded blue bindings and the gold lettering carefully, completely enthralled by the ancient lettering and appearance…

"It's a Universal Mage…" One of the Dark Guild Mages whispered out, seeming to not believe what had happened right before their eyes. Either that or they couldn't believe that someone so small and fragile and non-human could be the person they were looking for—the person they had been kidnapping everyone to find. Lord, did Seph feel awful… but utterly confused as well. Universal Mage, was that really what she was? Was that why her magic was so unique, why it didn't have a name that she had known of, why it couldn't be labelled under anything?

" **Get them**!" The boy who had seemed in charge suddenly yelled out, obviously meaning her and the book, in which she flinched and hugged the book close to herself, backing away as much as possible. Her back hit a chair as the boy came lumbering towards her, everyone else occupied with trying to stop each other, and she wasn't sure what to do…

Except for clenching her eyes shut and pulling on the leg of the chair as hard as possible, hoping for the heavy piece of furniture to hit the boy despite her blind swinging.

And…  
It did.

She pulled on it hard and she swung it around, and even though she was swinging blindly, it smacked into him before he could make a dive, sending him onto his back and leaving him vulnerable for someone else to grab, just as everyone blasted through the rest of the group to leave them unconscious. The only one they really needed was him, but only to figure out where they had taken the kidnapped in order to return them home.

* * *

Seph was shaken, staring down at the book in her lap quizzically with a frown and a slightly sore head. She was happy that the job was done and everyone was back home safe, and soon they would be as well, but she couldn't get over this damned book and this damned magic that she had… and that damned mirror Samoa had handed to her as a thank you gift after she had questioned about it. Samoa didn't even know where it came from and neither did her husband, saying that their daughter Natia had found it in the storage room a couple of weeks ago. She couldn't stop staring at the book, and then staring at the mirror, and then staring back at the book, and then repeating over and over and over again. Her whole life seemed to just become more and more shrouded in mystery as it continued, and she honestly… didn't like it.

The mirror's golden leaves seemed to shift every now and then, but Seph had no proof that it was actually happening. She was exhausted and as much as she wanted to dive into this book, to uncover more secrets and have some questions answered; she couldn't help but feel as if she would only end up with more questions. She didn't want that right now…

So, Seph just laid back and allowed herself to rest.

Answers could come later.

* * *

On the wall that had been crumbling for the past couple of years, he sat and let his eyes roam over the graffiti. With a finger on his right hand, he felt the cracks and the pits made by so many seasons of hail and rain. Today, like the sidewalk weeds, they were dry. As the wintry wind bit at his face, he gave a growing grin full of malicious intent, knowing that he just had to be patient…

And he would get what he wanted.


	21. Ignis Ales

Seph massaged her throbbing temples as she glanced down at the Ignis Ales once again. The words seemed to blur together, honestly. She leaned back in her seat on the bar of the Guild, glancing at the ceiling, before forcing her gaze back down to the book. She stifled a yawn and rubbed at her bleary eyes, having gotten little to no sleep the night before because she was so confused over everything and no one seemed very afflicted by the fact that she was some… "Universal Mage" or whatever it was. She felt like reading the book might become much like being slapped with a wet kipper-shocking, attention-grabbing, but not entirely pleasant. The book had a vice-like grip on her mind already; twisting reality and challenging the once mundane facts of her existence… it brought her into a new turbulent realm where even her sense of self was up for grabs.

Maybe Master Makarov would know something about it, since she certainly did not.

She could feel the fear in her chest waiting to take over. Perhaps it only wanted to protect her, but there really wasn't any danger, and it just sat there like an angry ball propelling her towards an anxiety she didn't need. The air was sweet, the weather was fine, there were birds in the sky and she could hear the ecstatic chatter of her friends around her, but she still let out a slow, controlled breath as she attempted to loosen her tense body. She felt like some sort of clockwork soldier and honestly, that was no way to be. Despite it all, her hands remained clenched around the book by subconscious demand as she continued to stare down at it; eventually just letting her head drop and smack against the slightly hard leather cover. This was ridiculous. She could hear her Father's words ringing in the back of her head and somehow, that just made this all of the worse, perhaps because she could never be sure if he meant what he would say.

'Dear Josephine,' He would say, 'never be like a flag, dependant on the capricious breeze for its direction. Be the captain of your own ship; chart a course and navigate with determination in choppy waters and fine. You alone are the master of your own destiny and responsible for the keeping of your humanity in the harshness of life. Do that and, no matter what happens, you will be proud of who you are.'

She sure as Hell didn't feel very proud of herself right now, but she was also still learning… about herself, about others, about this damned world she lived in. It had been so long since she was just a little girl with her family and since then, she hadn't had the chance to just… **breathe**.

Crossing her legs and intertwining her fingers, she let her clasped hands rest in her lap, on top of the book that would possibly tell her whatever she needed to know about her magic or origin or whatever, and she inhaled a deep breath. Flexibility was important, trust just as much to settle down, and kindness would lead her to being as calm as necessary in any situation. Once she exhaled, she didn't wait any longer, grabbing the cover of the Ignis Ales and pulling it open, listening to the first page flap a bit from probably getting stuck to the cover since it happened been opened in a long time. The pages were old and dusty, but the words that were scribbled down in black ink remained, most of it in a language that Seph could understand, but some of it in a language that she struggled with. Of course, this wasn't just any old book—this one was magic, and it only wanted Seph to read what she could currently understand. When it flipped to a section and kept all other pages stuck together, she couldn't believe how exasperated she was with an **object**. Nonetheless, she did as it wanted.

' _The sweet smell of decaying plant matter and rain mingled with the cool and gentle breeze, which swayed the upper branches of century-old oaks. It was here, on one of these very streets, that I found myself standing about, taking in the fresh air, when this book came to me. Most Mages nowadays are always trying to glean more power and wisdom from the magic we have already tamed and stifled for the last ten-thousand years, so when this book came to me, I knew that no one else except those with the same magic as I could get their hands on it. It is here, in the midst of an industrialized civilization, that magic still flows rampant and wild through the world. Magic can be held in any sanctuary, being contained within the sights, sound and smells of a world. "Contained" seems like the wrong word for magic in the future, I think, unlike our own now where such power has been dammed up and caged. I think that there, in the future, magic is in symbiosis with reality. At home, where magic always had fixed routes to guide me, and a hint of deeper magic will call from a distance away. It is my life's work to record in this book, here in the x300's, and to have sworn allegiance to the people to keep the world fair and correct. One mark in the wrong place and we might lose a country, including millions of people. Not all Universal Mages will be weighed with the responsibility of keeping the world intact, as I intend to meld myself into the Earth when my time is up in order to keep that from happening, but we will drop in number. We will split. We won't have as much responsibility, but we will have just as much power—as long as we use it correctly.  
My dear Universal Mage, whenever you read this, my name is Azyle Dium. I am the first Universal Mage to ever exist and gotten their hands on such an important book, because our magic is already fading quickly, but you are something extraordinary. You are one with the world, not as it will do your bidding, but you can call upon it to help you in troubled times. You should be born with it, born with something, and it is alright if you don't understand what is happening or who you truly are because that is just it—you are you. Universal Mage or not, magic runs freely through 90% of the population in the future, I've seen it. Although faced with awful trials, this world is Yin and Yang. I've always felt an attraction to the yin yang symbol. To me, it's always meant caution and hope. Caution because even in the purest of hearts, there is a seed that can become greed and vanity, which can use fear to gain power. Hope that even in the darkest of hearts, there is still a seed of purity that can grow if nurtured in the right way. I'm not sure what you are, who you are, or what your situation is, but I know that you can make the right decisions with your magic._'

* * *

"She's been reading like a maniac over there!" Happy sighed after at least half an hour had passed, upon seeing that Seph was still fully emerged in the book she had gotten merely yesterday. If he was going to be honest, he was getting a little worried about her considering how focused and yet how confused her expression seemed to be.

"How many pages in is she?" Natsu asked care-freely, making Happy whine a bit as he squinted to see. He didn't even know. He just knew that she looked conflicted and kept flipping through the pages back and forth, seemingly endlessly.

"She's pouring herself into those pages…" Lucy sighed, feeling quite bad for the small Exceed because is she was utterly confused over everything, than she could only imagine how confused Seph was. "She's scouring that book, skim-reading… she kinda looks like she's about to go cross-eyed, like the words are merging into nonsense."

"She's living every page, Lucy." Erza stated with her eyes closed and her hands clasped together, resting on the table. "It probably has important information on her magic and all, which is something any one of us would read into if we could."

She had a very good point. If there was a book on any of their magic or even a movie, they would be studying that strongly to figure out anything they possibly might've not already known. Seph didn't seem to even know what her magic was, so reading the book was probably a very important for her—it was probably the only teaching she would get. No one knew anything about this "Universal Magic". Erza's hands clenched as she thought back on asking the Master about it, in which he seemed to tense ever so slightly before responding quite truthfully that he didn't know what it was. He had a hunch, but he was unsure, and she didn't dare to dig into him for information. If Seph found out something important or life-threatening, she would most likely talk to them about it… well, perhaps to Laxus and the Raijinshuu first, but if it was something very important, they would eventually come to know.

For now, this was no one's business except Seph's. It was her magic and her decision of what to do with what she found out.

* * *

Seph's legs were on fire and her arms needed to move. There was a cupboard behind her and she didn't know what was in it. There were beads on the counter, she wanted to flick them. The fire in her legs was building like the energy in a compressed spring and she tried taking a deep breath, but she could only think about running around in a field right about then. Her hands were twitching and her eyes were blinking, and eventually, she just gave in, putting her book aside and trying to stretch as much as she possibly could without attracting attention. She couldn't stop thinking about everything so simple and then everything so confusing.

When she was eight months old, she knew every corner of her house because she had just learnt to walk. By the time she was ten months old, she hadn't left any spot in the sunflower field untraveled. That's how her Mother liked to say it. Her Mother had one told her that when she took her first step in that field, when she saw how balanced those little feet were, she knew that her daughter could run. She was right; the pride that had lit up in her Mom's eyes were like fireworks after the storm that took out half the village, after she had helped some of the kids get to safety even at the cost of her own life. She remembered wrapping her little fingers around the medal hanging from her neck, then letting her Mom hug her so tight, almost suffocating as always. Then, she frowned a bit, remembering how one moment, she was important, and then the next minute, she was in the background at the best. She couldn't say which one she preferred, what was making her head spin were the transitions. She knew everything was 'need-to-know' and 'last minute' for a reason, but there were days that it felt like her brain cells had been randomized.

She hadn't been herself since she had gotten that back. That morning, she had been so lost and confused, and she could barely work out how to pour the milk into her bowl of cereal. She had a job to do, something important, but it would only make itself known when necessary. For now, she would simply continue to read Azyle's pages with as much childlike wonder as possible. The more she knew about her magic, the better she could use it and in turn—the better she could protect those she cared about dearly. No matter how long it took, no matter how much reading she had to do, she would eventually figure everything out.

… Wow. When had she become so optimistic? For some reason, she found herself smiling.

This was okay.


	22. For Her

Seph was flapping the sleeves of her green and white, slightly baggy sweater as she hopped up and down on the train seat beside Laxus. There was a jump in the rails that startled her into no longer hopping, but she still flapped her hands and sleeves as if she was fighting off a swarm bees. She had the window seat, after all, and she had **never** been on a train before from what she could remember. The train kept taking plunges, inching forward at excruciating paces while it rocked back and forth, but the scenery that passed by kept her occupied—albeit, the same couldn't be said for Natsu and Gajeel. She felt bad for them, knowing that their motion sickness was bad, and she knew that Laxus was keeping his eyes closed, his arms crossed and his body still because he didn't want to look like a motion sick idiot. The window was open a bit, but not too much as to be a danger of Seph falling out—just enough that she could see out and her fur became a bit of a mess. The train didn't stop at too many stations and wasn't very crowded, but it was definitely speedy. There were a couple of attendants going up and down the aisles, taking any orders that people had and bringing them food and beverages, but honestly, she just admired the landscape as it passed by.

Eventually, an attendant came to them and without missing a beat, Erza ordered a slice of cake for herself and a cup of tea for she and Lucy to share.

"What's cake…?"

The question coming so softly and innocently out of Seph's mouth shocked everyone, especially Erza who actually gasped out loud and looked like someone had just wasted an entire strawberry shortcake. Speaking of strawberry shortcake…

"Forget just one slice; we'll take a whole strawberry shortcake, ma'am! Make it with extra strawberries as well!" Erza ordered, scaring the attendant ever so slightly as she nodded frantically and rushed off to get the red-headed Mage what she wished for. Erza than stared straight at Seph, who jumped a little bit because she had merely asked a question about something she really had no idea about. "Cake is perfect 24/7 for breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack, morning snack, afternoon snack—"

"It's a desert." Laxus told the Exceed carefully, trying not to ensure the wrath of Titania or his motion sickness getting out of hand. Seph paused before nodding a little bit, feeling slightly ashamed for never having heard of, seen or tasted cake before, especially not "Strawberry Shortcake".

When the attendant came back with what Erza had ordered, Seph was more than a little surprised at the tasty-looking delight called Cake. It looked to be three layers high with thick frosting in between, seven whole strawberries lining the top in a circle and many slices scattered everywhere one it. There was a small border of white frosting on the bottom of the cake and the top, and one nice, big dollop of the centre garnished with a whole strawberry. Her mouth watered as the waitress cut into the cake and put slices aside, enough for everyone including her, and she saw that the inside was beautiful and crumby. It was a pale yellow color with delicious-looking white frosting in between the layer, with a small tint of red on top of them representing the thinly sliced yet tart and sweet strawberries.

She stared at her slice in awe, unsure if she was even allowed to touch it, and she looked up at Laxus as she put her head in her crossed arms on the table. He paused, cracking open an eye before realizing that she was asking permission to eat it, and he frowned a bit.

"Seph, you don't have to ask when it's been given to you. Go ahead and eat it." He told her, making her brighten up and start jumping in her seat with excitement. That made him smile, even if he felt a little sick without having his eyes closed, because he really hadn't ever seen her so excited before. She had never tried cake before and she happily dug in, not noticing the other gazes resting on her, especially Erza's childlike smile and patience.

The crumby texture met with her tongue and then the cool sweetness of the frosting melted in her mouth alongside the sweet, tart flavors of the strawberries that complimented it so well. Her cheeks went pink and her eyes lit up as she went to take another bite, finding that no one was stopping her. Laxus only dreaded how hyper she would be and how hard it would be to get her to go to sleep that night with all of the sugar running through her system, but otherwise, he was going to let her eat as much cake as she wanted—and as much as Erza would share, which seemed to not be a problem somehow.

She deserved it.

* * *

Upon finishing the job they had taken and getting a good night's sleep, although accompanied by a lot of reading and a sugar crash, Seph found herself internally screaming as she sat on the couch in the lobby of the inn, watching as Charles did up the velcro and tied up her shoelaces. With all of the crazy stuff that had happened in the past week, it only made sense for Evergreen to win a bet and have the rest of them escort her to one of the biggest stores in Fiore, although they didn't have to stay with her. Seph could feel the fear of crowds that surely awaited her filling her with dread.

"It'll be okay, Seph." Charles reassured her, pushing her foot away to let her know that he was done with her shoes. "This too shall pass."

"We'll hit a restaurant on the way back, I'm pretty sure, so you can eat away the fear." Katie joked lightly, although she was being honest. They were going to eat out, they all knew that, but honestly, that made Seph even more anxious.

Seph knew that this was going to happen.

This was the largest crowd she had ever seen. She felt her rib cage squeeze her lungs and her vision tunnelled around her… and then a pair of strong arm lifted her up high, placing her down where her feet hit against shoulders and her hands ran through soft blonde hair that gave her comfort.

"You'll be okay, just stick with me." Laxus reassured her, in which she gave him a weak smile and nodded ever so slightly.

As they wandered around, Seph kept her head down, avoiding the gazes of other people as she hold onto Laxus' hair and went wherever he did. She wanted to die from all the attention, but considering that she had nearly died before and survived, she decided to force herself onward through this cesspool of capitalism.

And then she saw it, on the top shelf in front of her and Laxus while they were looking around: a book on Constellations. Oh my God, she wanted it. She smiled wide and then reached out, grabbing it at the same time someone else did, and ended up looking at a girl with dark brown hair and amber red eyes who growled at her. She didn't really have the confidence to growl back, although this had caught Laxus' attention. The girl cleared her throat strongly.

"Excuse me, **miss** , but I saw this first." She insisted, giving the book a yank, but Seph held on tight. This book would be so cool to read considering the weight that reading the Ignis Ales put on her shoulders, and maybe she could read it to Lily. He seemed like the kind of guy who would be interested in these kinds of things and they hadn't really gotten any time to just sit down and "hang out" like friends seemed to do.

"H-How do you know that…?" Seph questioned softly, yanking the book back towards herself as the girl glared more.

"I'll have you know that I'm a member of DGCP." The girl sneered, yanking the book back towards herself. Seph didn't even know what that was! "I think I know better than **you**."

"Don't all bigots think that, though?" Laxus suddenly asked, popping into the slightly one-sided argument.

"I am **NOT** a bigot! I am acting in Humanity's best interest!" The girl scoffed at the tall blonde Mage, who let out a soft sigh. Laxus merely reached up, grabbed hold of the book, and yanked it towards himself. It slipped out of Seph's hands effortlessly, although the girl got a papercut from trying not to lose it.

"You are not acting in Humanity's best interest, but of your boss. They're probably leeching something from DGCP or whatever and funnelling it towards their own pockets."

With that, Laxus walked towards the cash register and left the girl boiling with rage in the middle of the store, in which Seph wrapped her arms around his head to hug him in a thank you. He let out a hum in response, paying for the book and then quickly exiting the store for her comfort. They were going to just go and sit at the rendezvous spot and wait for the others.

Seph actually thought that food sounded pretty good right about then.

* * *

Seph was beyond ecstatic that Lily was actually interested in her constellation book like she had thought, turning each page as they read through it together, the small Exceed tending to pause and point at one of the constellations to talk about it a bit, which Lily didn't seem to mind at all. She mostly just knew the mythology behind the figures, but Lily was interested anyways, even when she flipped through it just to talk about Orion. The group seemed to have a great time out, even if they got a couple of odd looks, and they just chatted amongst themselves as Seph and Lily chatted and joked idly about the myths and improbability of the constellations.

For the first time in weeks, everything was back to normal.

And Seph being fast asleep immediately when they got back home should've been a good thing. It **was** a good thing, until a nightmare surfaced and made her regret ever even thinking about closing her eyes.

It was the time during everything else where she would end up on a cold metal table in a cold, damp room that was so quiet besides the business outside the door. Her wrists were often the limbs pinned down, but the time she was dreaming of was the first time they started strapping her ankles down as well. She hated everything. She didn't know why she was so interesting to them. She honestly really wanted to die.

A different man, a human, entered the room as per usual with the usual suspect of all her nightmares, who sat beside her and held her head down so she wouldn't move it—and he held her eyelid open. The human man took the syringe from his rolling cart, full of a faint luminescent black glow like always, and it was too much to ignore. Seph started wiggling around trying to free her wrists or her head or her ankles, just anything to get her out of here before they could continue with this awful stuff. She wasn't strong enough and she let out a scream of pain and fear as the needle pierced her cornea. The human man pumped the last of the syringe's contents out bit by bit before removing the needle, dabbing the tears, blood and vitreous from the corners of her eye before leaving the room. The Exceed, the usual suspect, he let her cry although he told her to shut up and get it over with, and when she finally stopped but was too exhausted to move, he unstrapped her and carried her back to their usual spot.

It didn't matter if she was exhausted. He always got his way.

And Seph couldn't handle the change of scenery in the nightmare, so she woke up with a jolt and a bloodcurdling scream. Almost immediately Laxus was there, trying to calm her down and then reading to her like she always appreciated him doing so much. When he realized that it wasn't working out, he put the book away and curled up with her, softly humming a tune to help her drift into a hopefully much more peaceful dream than the one she had ended up with before.

He started thinking that, perhaps, he should consult someone on Seph and her nightmares. This couldn't keep going; she wouldn't ever get a proper sleep again if the nightmares just started right back up.

* * *

"You want to go on a trip?"

Laxus groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he thought of how to explain this to the group without ending up right back where they were now, and he leaned forward on the table slightly for effect. He was still tired from waking up so suddenly in the middle of the night and had been unable to go back to sleep for a couple of hours, and even then, he had fallen asleep merely an hour before he had set his alarm to get up. He asked Mira to take care of Seph, or more like distract her, while he talked to a group of people he knew that he could trust about taking a simple trip.

"Yes, I do, but it's not for me—it's for Seph." He responded, glancing over the group at the table from Katie to Erza to Natsu, just the people he knew he could trust with tough subjects no matter how much of an idiot some of them were. They were also people he knew that Seph could trust and honestly, that was his definition of important right now. "Her nightmares have gotten worse again, so I think it would be better to go on a trip with no sense of pressure or danger instead of constantly heading out on jobs like we have been. She needs some down time, some time to just spend with people she cares about, and you all know how much jobs can weigh the soul."

"… That's actually sweet, Laxus." Lucy sighed with a smile, which clicked something in Laxus' head that made him spit out his next words.

"I also need a full night's sleep if I'm gonna do anything!" He spat out, which made the table's residents laugh because he had already exposed himself, but they would give him point's for effort.

"Alright, then we'll go on a trip. I have the perfect place, too!" Erza told them, in which they all started chatting and Laxus gave a sigh, getting up to tell Seph.

He knew that she wasn't one for surprises after all, even if this would've been a good one.


	23. (Author's Note)

i hate to do this AGAIN, but i'll be rewriting this story AGAIN.

i don't know why, but i'm not happy with it. i'm very sorry.


End file.
